Less than one year after Kenya’s last general election, the main political parties — Jubilee Party and National Super Alliance — are bogged down by internal dissent triggered by the ongoing war on corruption and the March handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga.

Nasa has already lost one coalition member, Ford Kenya, whose leader Moses Wetang’ula is protesting what he calls mistreatment by Mr Odinga and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) in parliament.

Mr Wetangula fell out with Mr Odinga when Nasa-allied Senators ganged up to replace him as Minority Leader in the Senate. The removal, Mr Wetang’ula said, was orchestrated by ODM.

Mr Wetang’ula renewed his war with Mr Odinga last week in a TV interview during which he claimed the former prime minister was a dictator who could not be trusted in any political deal.

The Nasa coalition has four partners — Wiper Democratic Movement, Ford Kenya, ODM and Amani National Congress.

The ruling Jubilee is not enjoying stability either, as the handshake, war on graft and eviction of families living in one of the country’s water towers, Mau Forest, have ignited a war of words pitting President Kenyatta’s allies against politicians leaning towards Deputy President William Ruto.

Just as Nasa replaced its leader in the Senate, Jubilee is also considering action against Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen, whom it accuses of undermining the government’s efforts to conserve forests.

Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja, President Kenyatta’s close ally, fired the first salvo, when he accused Mr Murkomen of undermining government policies.

It took the intervention of President Kenyatta to save Mr Murkomen from being dropped as Majority Leader.

Mr Ruto’s allies in Jubilee view the March handshake that was dubbed the Building Bridges Initiative and purge as a move that could alter the political equation come 2022.

Mr Ruto’s allies mainly from Rift Valley are reading mischief in the handshake, which they claim is responsible for rifts in Jubilee and a plan to block Mr Ruto from ascending to power in 2022.

The ruling party called off a crisis meeting recently, with the party’s secretary general Raphael Tuju saying there were no problems major enough to warrant a meeting.

But four months after the controversial handshake, Mr Odinga is struggling to steer Nasa amid accusations that he shortchanged his co-principals in the deal, which saw a team unveiled to come up with a roadmap on how problems bedevilling the country can be tackled.

The Building Bridges Initiative team last week invited organised groups to submit views on how the country can fight corruption.

Mr Odinga’s deputy Kalonzo Musyoka has offered to mediate between the Nasa parties to ensure the team holds together and starts preparing for the next general election.

However, ODM legislators want Ford-K MPs to relinquish seats in various parliamentary committees that they earned by virtue of Nasa membership.