President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga demoted two ministers and sidestepped 10 MPs originally slotted for Cabinet appointments in the deal struck at the Sagana State Lodge, The Standard can now disclose.
Only presidential guards and aides waited from the fringes of the meeting. The selection was a tough game, where President Kibaki or Raila would pick a name and the two would figure out the implications and suitability of the person.
They then chose or dropped names as they tinkered with the complex national mosaic.
The Standard learnt how the fate of Dr Wilfred Machage was sealed during the deal at Sagana — he is from Nyanza, an ODM stronghold, and he became a casualty so as to accommodate more party MPs.
Agreements and sacrifices were made to balance the Cabinet on regional and gender basis, although loyalty was preferred to ability.Those dropped
The MPs originally slated to join the Cabinet on the ODM list, but later missed out were Mr Chris Okemo, Mr Calistus Mwatela, Ms Lornah Laboso, Mr George Khaniri, Mr Omingo Magara, Mr Alfred Sambu, Mr Aden Duale and Mr Orwa Ojode.
However, Khaniri, Ojode, Laboso, Duale, Magara and Mwatela were appointed assistant ministers.
Sources said Okemo was too senior to be named an assistant minister, a position he would most likely have turned down having served in the prime dockets of Finance and Energy in the Moi regime.
In Coast Province, Mwatela was dropped from the ODM list since Kibaki retained Special Programmes minister, Dr Naomi Shaban. Raila instead seconded Mwatela to the list of assistant ministers.
In the South Coast, Kibaki retained Transport minister, Mr Ali Mwakwere, as a reward for what analysts said was loyalty.
But the President concurred with Raila to appoint a minister from the North Coast, Mr Jeffer Amason Kingi of ODM, who assumed the East Africa Community docket, taking over from Machage.
In the same province, ODM Pentagon member, Mr Najib Balala, was automatically appointed Tourism minister. All Pentagon members were named to the Cabinet to fulfill a pre-election agreement.Rift Valley
In Rift Valley, it was difficult for the two principals to make a quick decision. There was pressure to have Mr William Ruto excluded, but ODM threatened to pull out of the deal should that be the case.
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In Nyanza, ODM got the leeway and appointed Mr James Orengo (Lands and Settlement), Mr Dalmas Otieno (Public Service), Mr Otieno Kajwang’ (Immigration and Registration), Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o (Medical Services) and Mr Chris Obure (Public Works).
Magara missed the Cabinet because PNU had already appointed Prof Sam Ongeri, the Education minister, from the Kisii region.
In Western Province, Okemo missed the Cabinet on grounds that the Attorney-General, Mr Amos Wako, comes from the same constituency — Nambale.
ODM rewarded Funyula MP, Dr Paul Otuoma, with the Fisheries docket.
Hamisi MP, Mr George Khaniri, missed a Cabinet slot because the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Kenneth Marende, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government, Mr Musalia Mudavadi, are from the same region.
Webuye MP, Mr Alfred Sambu, who beat Ford-Kenya chairman, Mr Musikari Kombo, in the polls missed the Cabinet because PNU had already appointed Foreign Affairs minister, Mr Moses Wetangula, from Bungoma.
In North Eastern Province, ODM found if difficult to allocate more Cabinet slots to neighbours of Deputy Speaker Mr Farah Maalim.
Mr Ibrahim Elmi (Wajir East) was appointed Minister for Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands.
Other MPs from the same region were appointed assistant ministers because PNU had already picked Defence minister, Mr Yusuf Haji from Ijara.
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