Speculations as to whether Uhuru will indeed run for presidency have been doing rounds for a while now. Uhuru himself has done nothing to quell the speculations, a good political tactic, keep your enemies
guessing. 

His ally William Ruto on the other hand has been more forthcoming, declaring that he indeed will run for presidency. He cemented this by unveiling the party he intends to use as a vehicle to get him to state house. 

But the ICC cases they are facing have thrown a spanner in the works. The ambitions of the duo, implicit or explicit have been blighted by the ICC cases. This is casting a long dark shadow over their future in Kenyan politics.

It is a mixed bag of fortunes for Uhuru and Ruto as far as the ICC process goes and of particular significance was the government’s ill fated attempt of shuttle diplomacy to have the ICC hand back the cases
for local trial even without structures in place to try the suspects. 

The infamous round the world tour by the VP Mr Kalonzo Musyoka  resulted in an endorsement by AU to have the cases tried in Kenya but this had no material significance, none whatsoever on the ICC process. 

You’d think the government learnt a lesson or two from this but that isn’t the case. 

Now there is the belated last ditch attempt again by the government to have the cases tried by an expanded East African Court. 

This amidst preparation by the Ocampo four to head to the Hague on June 12 for the preparatory conference where the rules of engagement will be laid down.

I sense desperation and frustration by the government and the Uhuru-Ruto camps who are throwing everything including the kitchen sink at the ICC and why wouldn’t they? 

The ICC is beginning to look like a moving target for them and they just can’t pin it down. A series of rulings by the court have rebutted any efforts to have the cases pulled out of its jurisdiction. The cases the court ruled must now proceed to full trial.

Why is all this relevant you might ask? For me, the ICC intrigues and now the decision by Sabatia MP and DPM Musalia Mudavadi to run for presidency completes the jig saw; we can now see the big picture. 

Surely, one would like to imagine that Ruto and Uhuru must have received counsel that there is a chance that they might walk free hence all the effort they have put into the case. So far, in its 10 year existence the court has only managed one conviction. 

On the 14th of March this year, the court found a Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga guilty of war crimes, recruiting  children into his movement. 

This record is good news for the OCampo four. But if their counsel is fair, they will also inform the OCampo four that there is also a chance that they will be found guilty on some if not all the allegations leveled against them. 

For Ruto and Uhuru, this outcome will effectively end any dream of ascending to the highest office in the country, the presidency. But that is not the worst part of the story, what about their economic interests? The ICC is clear on this; they will forfeit all they own as reparations for the victims. 

Clearly in the event of a guilty verdict, they stand to lose more than just their freedom. Add to that Raila’s presidency and it becomes an even bigger nightmare and a double whammy for them and that’s why Uhuru and Ruto will do anything and everything to stop Raila’s ascendancy to the high office. This they have made it clear they will

It is this scenario that led me to conclude that Mudavadi’s entrance into the presidential race is clearly a backup plan for the Uhuru-Ruto alliance in the event that the worst case scenario, a conviction by the ICC was to eventuate. They want someone who they can trust, manipulate, someone who can protect their own interests and someone who shares a history with them. Who better than the Sabatia MP Musalia Mudavadi? 

As it stands now, Uhuru and Ruto know as much as Mudavadi does that on his own, he stands no chance of beating Raila. But throw in full support from Rift Valley and Central, split the Western and Coast vote and you begin to see how potentially Mudavadi can end Raila’s long held ambition of becoming Kenya’s president. 

By supporting Mudavadi’s presidential bid, and this I suspect is the eventual game plan, Uhuru and Ruto have in him a close friend who will protect their own interests and who could potentially if he becomes president refuse to cooperate with the ICC. 

I see Mudavadi’s entrance into the presidential race foray as the first chapter of grand scale political machinations by Uhuru and Ruto.

Gitaa Nyasani

I have followed keenly Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta's budget proposal on cost cutting through the populist plan to replace the official cars with the Volkswagen Passat and the 1800cc Mercedez Benz.

To be fair to Uhuru, the idea of cheaper transport for state officials did not originate with him; his predecessor Amos Kimunya had staged the same public stunt of state frugality and caused a few limousines and 4x4s to be hauled to the yard in Industrial Area.

Only the Ministry of Finance, however, knows what became of those vehicles and how successful that prank of a policy was.

My hunch is that if a thorough audit is conducted, it will find that only a few cars can be accounted for and the disposal of the rest is a mystery.

In the present case, too many questions are begging for answers about the directive and how the government has gone about it. We cannot overlook some things these days and even if Uhuru wants to yank everyone to court, we must raise the queries as a matter of public interest.

First, the directive seems to be yet another cosmetic measure from government. I give it to you who believes in haba na haba hujaza kibaba and that small savings here and there will ultimately amount to a leaner, less costlier government.

But 42 cars and the cost of running them has been shown, even by ministry estimates, to be just a token in government expenditure. While we must avoid state profligacy, public service should not be made to appear like a charity.

Government has to offer employment perks that compete with the private sector to attract the best talents. Public service is not all about sacrifice, poor pay and other adversities. If the government, or the taxpayer in this case, cannot afford or provide good cars for its workers, it should initiate optional schemes for its officers to take out cars.

Government officials who want a little class should be allowed their luxury by being allowed to gradually own their preferred cars at a subsidised cost through a phased ownership scheme. After all, isn't that the trend in the private sector?

It is fashionable for the media to demand certain sacrifices from public servants because that is politically correct. Yet if you flip the coin, the same critics enjoy the same privileges in their work places. Isn't it time for a paradigm or mentality shift?

But the Uhuru directive is also hypocritical. It is not ministers alone who use expensive cars. If he is serious about a new official transport policy, then he should go further and include all the state corporations and agencies that are fleecing the taxpayer.

How about the armed forces, where all senior officers have a fleet of limousines at their beck and call. Is Uhuru saying that a minister in the government is lower in rank to a brigadier in the Kenya Army, whose official car is a Mercedes and several others?

Has he not seen those chief executives of parastatals drive huge 4x4s and other sleek cars?

Then there is the matter of how the directive has been implemented. For such a pronounced policy, the details of how the car make was arrived at should not be so difficult to find.

I have several times heard the minister parry questions about his connection to CMC, the dealers and suppliers of the VW Passat. It may be that the facts bear him out but why not publish them?

It is not the first time that questions are being raised about vehicle procurement.

Previous queries about imports have always been vindicated.

When Duncan Wachira was Police Commissioner, he procured against all advice the unsuitable Mahindra for the police. The funny cars were useless for police chase. We have heard about the accident-prone Chinese trucks controversially acquired by the army, which have been killing our soldiers.

The truth is, there can be no fit-all vehicle for the government because of different needs.

To say that ministers or government officials, who have to traverse the breadth of the country, in some places where roads are non-existent, will be limited to using the low-clearance Passat is a lie that can't pass. It will sooner rather than later prove more expensive when the cars fall into disrepair.

I have no brief from the manufacturers but I think the Mercedes Benz is just fine for our government officials. In Europe and Germany, the home country, they are used as a common taxi and the prestige that we accord them here is quite frankly exaggerated.

The government must aim to balance frugality with a realistic mix of prestige, comfort and safety for our public servants.

This straight-jacket directive is suspect.

Makali is a media consultant.