An elderly woman was moved to tears when President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga shared a cake at a church function in Kisumu on Monday.

A day earlier, a crowd in Bondo roared with laughter when Deputy President William Ruto cracked jokes about how he will be seeking Tinga’s (Odinga) support in the 2022 election.

President Kenyatta and Mr Odinga were attending the Silver Jubilee celebrations of the Kisumu Catholic Archdiocese at the invitation of Archbishop Zacchaeus Okoth.

The two  leaders were meeting after a high-octane month-long war of words over the Jubilee government’s handling of security and corruption with Mr Odinga calling for the suspension of Devolution Cabinet Secretary Ann Waiguru over attempts by officials to siphon Sh860 million from the National Youth Service which falls under her ministry. President Kenyatta’s visit to Mr Odinga’s stronghold and sharing a podium was, therefore, expected to trigger a heated exchange.

On the contrary, the gathering watched in disbelief as the two arch-rivals who sat next to each other shared ear-to-ear pleasantries, cracking jokes and falling over each other with hearty laughs while holding hands.

Sources close to Mr Odinga told the Sunday Nation that he had earlier planned a series of stop overs on his way to the venue at Uzima University College grounds to ask residents to welcome the President but changed his mind on learning that Mr Kenyatta had already landed in Kisumu.

So, he decided to rush to the event ahead of the President to welcome him.

The source also indicated that Mr Odinga was keen to ensure that the President’s trip, which was made public only on Sunday night, ended without incident which would have been blamed on his supporters.

On arrival at the venue, Mr Odinga entered a tent where he shared breakfast with President Kenyatta before walking side-by-side to plant a commemorative tree. They then  toured the institution before Mr Odinga escorted the President to the podium amidst applause from the gathering.

The two kept the gathering guessing on the subject of their seemingly lively banter, hearty   laughs which occasionally forced them to reach for handkerchiefs to wipe their faces.  There was more excitement when Mr Odinga invited President Kenyatta to speak before they teamed up to cut and share a cake.

The teary woman explained that given the hostility between the two, she was surprised and moved to see them share a cake.

PARADIGM SHIFT

A couple of developments are apparent which suggest a paradigm shift and capture the attitude of the Luo Nyanza residents lately.

The overriding desire is that the scions of Kenya’s founding fathers, President Jomo Kenyatta and Vice-President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, work together in an environment of mutual respect and co-operation. This was captured in the words of Archbishop Okoth and Anglican Bishop Johannes Angela who hosted Mr Ruto in Bondo, a few kilometres from Mr Odinga’s home. The clergymen preached against the “politics of constant confrontation” which they said fuels enmity between communities.

Archbishop Okoth told Mr Kenyatta and Mr Odinga to “walk together in love”.

“In a multiparty democracy, (the) Opposition is part of government since it provides necessary checks. We must, therefore, not graduate our political differences into enmity among our people,” he said.

The church celebrations were turned into a platform to call for co-operation, discipline, dialogue, mutual respect among the political elite with President Kenyatta and the former Prime Minister expected to provide leadership.

In his emphasis for co-operation, Nyakach MP Aduma Owuor reminded them that they shared a common heritage.

Said Mr Owuor: “You are sons of the founding fathers of this country. Kenyans want you to work together and respect each other.”

Mr Kenyatta struck a conciliatory tone, calling for unity and mutual respect.

“Political competition is not enmity. We must respect and know the reason for coming together in as much as we come from different parties,” he said. “As politicians, we must know that despite our different parties, we are serving the same Kenyans, no section of Kenyans belongs to any individual.”

And Mr Odinga used the occasion to defend himself against allegations that he was fighting Ms Waiguru.

“I am not opposed to the NYS and the slum upgrading. I was the first to start slum upgrading. We are not fighting anybody. We are only asking for transparency in procurement at NYS.”

CONTRAST

Significantly, the trips to Nyanza region have considerably reduced the hostility towards President Kenyatta and Mr Ruto, who the Bondo crowd advised to “return home in ODM.”

For Mr Kenyatta, the Kisumu trip was a contrast to his tour of Migori county in which youth opposed to Governor Okoth Obado threw shoes at the dais.

In April, Mr Kenyatta received a warm reception when he attended the devolution conference in Kisumu. And on Monday, his motorcade drove deep into Kisumu’s Ubunga slums where he addressed youth engaged in projects under the National Youth Service.

There seems to be an awakening, especially among the pro-Odinga youth that though they do not support President Kenyatta, they don’t have to hate him. But they insist that President Kenyatta should respect their leader, Mr Odinga.

The rivalry between the Kenyattas and Odingas dates back to years after independence when the two founding fathers engaged in a fierce ideological war which culminated in Jaramogi’s expulsion from Kanu.

It also partly revolves around a sense of grievance by the Odingas who believe they deserve better for their contribution to the liberation campaign, expansion of democracy and enactment of the 2010 Constitution.

University of Nairobi political scientist Adams Oloo and former Nakuru North MP Koigi Wamwere rule out the possibility of the two leaders working together due to their ambitions, especially the fact  both will be contesting the presidency for the last time in 2017.

Mr Oloo reckons the gap between the Luo and Kikuyu nations is unlikely to be bridged soon.

He said Mr Odinga almost achieved it in 2002 when  he rallied Luos to vote for President Mwai Kibaki.

But his “shortchanging” after the elections created mistrust.

“Jaramogi had stepped down in favour of Mzee Kenyatta in 1963. Raila also did it for Kibaki in 2002. The feeling is that Luos have done their part and it is now the turn of others to reciprocate,” said Dr Oloo.

“I don’t think it’s possible for the two to be on the same side  because Mr Odinga is unlikely to play second fiddle to President Kenyatta,” he said.

Mr Koigi  thinks that President Kenyatta’s  trips were out of a realisation that he needed Mr Odinga to make any impact in his stronghold.

Argues Mr Koigi: “What Uhuru has done is to concede that he cannot develop a single constituency in Luo Nyanza without Raila and the latter shows Uhuru’s inadequacy by co-operating to take him to his backyard.”

But Mr Jeremiah Kioni, the former Ndaragua MP,  says the Constitution compels the two to work together and that Mr Odinga was preparing ground to campaign in the President’s backyard.

“Raila also knows he needs Central Kenya votes and does not want to be chased away when he goes there.”

It is often pointed out that it was Mr Odinga’s father who insisted that Kenya would not accept independence without Mzee Kenyatta being free.

But in 2002, Mr Odinga jeopardised Uhuru’s State House bid when he led a dramatic walkout from Kanu and endorsed Mr Kibaki, the then National Alliance of Kenya leader, who went ahead to defeat Mr Kenyatta in the presidential election.

In return, Mr Kenyatta in 2007 opted out of the presidential race and teamed up with President Kibaki who was pitted against Mr Odinga in a contest that would lead to a dispute and violence.

And in the 2013 polls, Mr Kenyatta teamed up with Mr Ruto who had defected from Mr Odinga’s party and defeated him in a hotly contested election.

Former US President Bill Clinton has put up a strong case for what he calls “constructive co-operation” in democracies. Citing the case in which his wife, Hillary, worked with President Obama, Mr Clinton reckons that political competition must not be ugly. The two had in 2008 waged an emotive campaign for the Democratic Party ticket but later, President Obama appointed Mrs Clinton Secretary of State.

Mr Clinton might as well have had Kenyan politics in his mind.

In The recently ended Danish election, the prime-minister in charge only hold about 20% of the seats in the parliament, but he is forming the government with this mandate as a minority government.
But as always  even if you are in government with other parties and are having the majority, it is a traditions to work across borders between the parties, and with the opposition as it also joins the population and makes them strong and stand together across differences.

We can’t agree with everything, but where we can and are willing to work together things will become better and work out for the better for everybody.

The man in charge of Kenya’s money has turned down the offer to live in an expansive home in Nairobi’s Muthaiga and ride in a motorcade.

Dr Patrick Ngugi Njoroge, who took over as Central Bank of Kenya governor last week, will instead be housed in communal accommodation in Nairobi’s Loresho estate with his fellow members of Opus Dei (Latin for “work of God”), an institution of the Catholic church.

The institution teaches that everyone is called to holiness and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. Most of its members are lay people, with secular priests under a bishop.

Dr Njoroge, who is turning out to be a man of exemplary modesty, has also turned down an office-issued, high-end smartphone, a bevy of security guards and three cars.

Central Bank governors have at their disposal a Range Rover, a Mercedes-Benz and a Volkswagen Passat.

When he was being vetted by MPs before his appointment by President Uhuru Kenyatta, Dr Njoroge was asked why he does not own property in Kenya and is still single at 54 yet his monthly salary at the International Monetary Fund was Sh3 million a month.

A MATTER OF CHOICE

“Yes I don’t have a single asset here in Kenya and this is where I am at this point and it doesn’t mean that this how it will be forever. I subscribe to being very deliberate about that. This is my economic model and may be years after retirement, I would want to invest in other things. That should not mean I have any financial inabilities. It comes with the profession,” the country’s ninth Central Bank governor said.

He told the MPs that his lifestyle was a matter of choice and there was nothing unusual about it.

MPs approved his nomination, paving the way for his appointment, but not before making inappropriate offers to get him a wife.

In a country where appointment to public office is associated with opulence, demand for higher pay and motorcades, Dr Njoroge’s decision to pass up a chance to live in a house on two acres located in the city’s most exclusive suburb is a rare one.

Had he taken up the offer, some of his neighbours would have been former President Mwai Kibaki, the US ambassador, British high commissioner and former Attorney General Charles Njonjo.
The home has lawns and beautiful mature gardens, ideal for parties and official receptions and functions.

INDEPENDENT MIND

Former governor Philip Ndegwa lived there. But subsequent governors Eric Kotut, Nahason Nyaga and Andrew Mullei did not move in. Still, the premises were fully maintained by the Central Bank, even though the only people living there were domestic staff and gardeners.

The position of governor also comes with other trappings of power. The previous governor, Prof Njoroge Ndung’u, had at his disposal a Mercedes-Benz, a Range Rover, a Volkswagen Passat, a chase car, two armed guards and a driver.

But self-effacement comes as naturally to the new governor as ostentation comes to the typical public official in Kenya.

“Totally devoid of ego and instinctively averse to self-advertisement” is how a senior Treasury official and long-serving central banker described him.

His style brings to public service a rare quality of humility and an aversion to the trappings of power and opulence. In Kenya, the practice is that when you are appointed to high office, you demand big fuel-guzzling cars and expensive Turkish carpets.

But it is not just on matters of cars and homes that the governor has shown he has a mind of his own.

‘EXCESSIVE’ EXTERNAL BORROWING

During vetting Dr Njoroge demonstrated an independent mind, taking a different position to what MPs were pushing and also going against the government position on some issues.

He was, for example, forthright that he considers Kenya’s external borrowing excessive, saying the country must be careful in considering more debt and where the money was going.

This contradicted the National Treasury position, which is that the country’s borrowing is healthy and within the limits.

He also dismissed proposals by MPs to form a government bank to provide cheaper loans and bring interest rates down or simply introduce legislation to control bank lending rates.

“I think it would be a big mistake to even think that we can control interest rates through legislation. It will not work. That is why we moved from price control. Commercial banks just need to get confident to move ahead with market-based solutions that are sensitive for their businesses like control on inflation. This is something we have done in other countries by assuring the banks that the economy is under control, we will come up with a plan that is acceptable to all,” said Dr Njoroge.

Pilots in the country now want national carrier Kenya Airways saved from possible collapse.

Through their association, the Kenya Airline Pilots Association (Kalpa), the pilots also accused the airline’s management of mistreating them.

Association general-secretary Captain Ronald Karauri said Kenya Airways was “literally on its knees” due to poor management and called upon relevant authorities to intervene.

“In 2012, Kenya Airways proceeded to retrench 447 employees in a move that was supposed to save over Sh1 billion annually. The public was made to believe that this was the panacea for all the problems bedeviling and already declining brand,” said Mr Karauri, in a press statement published in Friday’s newspapers.

The pilot claimed that, three years later, the national carrier had continued to perform poorly financially and blamed it on poor management.

He also blamed the management for terminating the employment of 10 senior pilots “under the guise of early retirement” and obtaining a court order that barred other plots from engaging in a strike to protest the layoff.

DENIED LEAVE

“While it claims to have a surplus of pilots, the airline management continues to deny pilots leave with some pilots having not gone for leave for more than two years despite applying several times for the same,” added Mr Karauri.

The management, he added, had gone ahead to fire young pilots on “flimsy and unjustifiable grounds” in a bid to intimidate the pilots’ union.

Kalpa also accused the national carrier of reneging on several agreements signed between them and called upon stakeholders to protect the airline’s employees.

But while responding to the allegations, Kenya Airways chief executive Mr Mbuvi Ngunze said the airline had been in discussions with Kalpa regarding the collective bargaining agreement, adding that the negotiations were the subject of “both a conciliation with the Ministry of Labour and an Industrial Court process”.

“The allegations made by Kalpa in the press statement issued on July 3, 2015 go against ongoing talks and court orders issued. Kenya Airways is committed to finding an amicable, judicial closure to this matter,” added Mr Ngunze in a statement to the Nation.

Around the world people use bank machines to access cash: but in the Kenyan capital’s crowded slums, people now use similar machines to access an even more basic requirement — clean water.

In a bid to boost access to clean water, four water dispensing machines have been installed in Nairobi slums that operate like cash machines — with customers able to buy affordable water using smart cards.

It has cut costs dramatically, and is helping improve health, residents say.

“It’s pure and good for cooking, and above all it is affordable,” said Peter Ngui, who runs a small street restaurant.

“I used to get water from far away, but this water system is closer to my place of work.” Previously people living in Nairobi’s cramped slums struggled to get clean water cheaply, and was pron to waterborn diseases.

Without water pipes or plumbing in the tin-hut districts, residents resorted to buying water from sellers who dragged handcarts loaded with jerry cans or oil drums into the narrow streets.

That water was often dirty, sometimes taken illegally from broken pipes.

But the new machines, installed by the government-run Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC) and the Danish water engineering company Grundfos, allow people to purchase water directly — and far more cheaply — than before.

For the government, the machines allow them to make a profit, as water was previously stolen from them, with people cracking pipes to siphon off water to sell. For the people of the slums, the clean water provided is cheaper than that sold before.

“The project is commercially viable,” NWSC chief Philip Gichuki said. “Illegal water services are going to die off because residents are assured of good water quality.”

The new machines have made water up to six times cheaper. Previously, people would buy 20 litres of water (5 US gallons) in a jerry can from a street seller for three shillings, often from unreliable sources.

That price — the equivalent of 3 US pennies — was difficult for many slum residents who are unemployed or who only occasionally find work for $2 a day.

SAFE TO DRINK

Now the machines sell the same for just half a shilling — and the water is treated and safe to drink.

“We will have more and more people accessing water in a more dignified manner,” Gichuki said, standing beside one of the new machines, as long lines of women waited to fill cans full of water, heavy loads they must then carry back home.

“The people in the informal settlements will improve in terms of their health standards and they will also spend less money in terms of water services,” he added.

Residents load money onto the water smart cards at a nearby kiosk or via payments sent on a mobile phone — a common system of payment in Kenya, which pioneered the sending of cash via phones — then tapping into the machine how many liters they want to buy.

“This water project has come at a very good time, because if I have 50 shillings, I’ll deposit it onto my water-ATM card, and get water from this point for a whole month,” said Francisca Mbenya, who lives in capital’s vast Mathare slum.

The machines are operated by local residents — youth and women groups — who earn 40 percent of the profits from the water sales as an incentive to ensure they are kept running and the system is not vandalised.

Previously, pipelines were damaged when some people tried to steal the water. Now with the new machines and water points, the governments hopes there will be less reason to damage the pipes.

Lack of efficient sewerage and toilets mean water sources in the slums are often polluted, with diarrhoea common, while over 80 people died in a recent outbreak of cholera across the country.

Kenya’s slums earned a grim reputation for “flying toilets” — when people defecate into plastic bags due to a lack of other facilities, which are then hurled somewhere else into the shanty town. Conditions are improving however.

“I used to get water close to my home, but the problem was the hygiene level — right next to the water point was a sewer,” said mother-of-three Mbenya, as she tested the new water system. “This water point is clean.”

The United Nations say access to clean water is fundamental right, while the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines say people need a minimum of 20 litres of water a day as a basic requirement.