Buried in December elections former Cabinet ministers Mr Raphael Tuju and Prof Kivutha Kibwana are now working at Harambee House as the President's "special advisers".

The appointments have another common streak - Tuju is Narc-Kenya's chairman and Kibwana the vice-chairman. With 49 paid-up and Narc-Kenya-leaning MPs, the party is the bedrock of Kibaki's support in the Party of National Unity.

After The Saturday Standard sought confirmation from the Government spokesman Dr Alfred Mutua where the two former ministers were working from, he broke the news to newsrooms.

He said they were appointed, "to advise on ethnic relations/media and constitutional matters." Mutua said the appointments followed "the disturbances and issues arising after the last General Election."

In political circles the jobs are being seen as token compensation after Narc-Kenya's complaint it was short-changed in the distribution of posts with the Vice-President and Deputy Prime minister seats going to ODM-Kenya and Kanu. The PNU affiliate has more parties than the two in the House. Tuju is a communication specialist and Kibwana, a former university Law lecturer. Both will operate on a floor above the President's office.

The former Government of National Unity ministers will operate under the Cabinet Affairs Office, which is headed by Civil Service chief Mr Francis Muthaura.

Tuju, immediate former Foreign Affairs Minister is the strategy and policy adviser on ethnic and media relations, while Kibwana, is the special adviser on constitutional affairs.

Mr Peter Kiilu trounced the immediate Former Lands Minister in Makueni, on an ODM-Kenya ticket. Mr Nicholas Gumbo of ODM ousted Tuju in Rarieda.

The two appointments were first announced at Narc-Kenya management meeting on Tuesday, which was co-chaired by former Vice-President Moody Awori and Constitutional Affairs minister Martha Karua.

Mr Awori is Narc-Kenya's deputy party leader, while President Kibaki is the presumed Party Leader, though he never publicly acknowledged it.

The appointments coincide with a renewed drive to revive Narc-Kenya. They appear calculated to mollify the party and make amends for PNU election gamble that nearly cost Kibaki a second term, and also disappointed Narc-Kenya supporters.

However, Narc-Kenya founder member and former Water minister, Mr Mutua Katuku, said the appointments were not 'bribes'. "It has nothing to do with Narc-Kenya. These are two competent individuals who have been given jobs. The President has made a lot of appointments lately, from Ministers to Permanent Secretaries. It is his responsibility to appoint those he sees fit for various offices," Katuku added.

Narc-Kenya has lately reinvigorated its secretariat, holding regular meetings and preparing to complete its stalled elections for national executive council officials.

"We are soon issuing a time table of our next plan of action. We have the by-elections to win, hold a national convention in June to draw our party and national agenda. Narc-Kenya intends to claim its rightful place on the national scene, and our MPs and councillors must stand up to be counted," said a source at the party headquarters.

Narc-Kenya and Ford-Kenya were the biggest casualties of the PNU gamble, but former ruling party, Kanu, is viewed to have gained most, not least in re-inventing itself.

After the polls, Narc-Kenya has been grumbling about parliamentary nominations, the choice of Kanu chairman, Uhuru Kenyatta as Deputy Prime Minister, as well as Cabinet and assistant ministers' appointments.

After nominating Ford-Kenya leader, Mr Musikari Kombo, to Parliament, the latest appointments may be seen as an attempt to appease Narc-Kenya ahead of June 11 parliamentary by-elections in five constituencies. The party has drawn a line-up of its own, independent of PNU.

The party has invited all the aspiring candidates to a meeting next week to work out a winning strategy. It could include compromises. Speculation is rife, former Kanu executive officer, Mr Julius Sunkuli, is being persuaded to step aside for immediate former MP and minister Mr Gideon Konchella.

Former Nairobi deputy Mayor Mr Ferdinand Waititu is emerging as Narc-Kenya's favourite for Embakasi while former Assistant Minister Sande Mukuna is being fronted for the Emuhaya constituency.

The by-elections present unusual challenges for President Kibaki in trying to manage fierce sibling rivalry inside PNU.

In PNU, Karua and Uhuru are elbowing each other for space and visibility in central Kenya, with Karua putting Uhuru on notice that her name will be on the presidential ballot papers in 2012. Karua is older at 51 and serving her fourth term in Parliament. Uhuru is 46 and serving his sixth year as MP.

Her backers feel she was sidestepped in favour of Uhuru, even after her role in the PNU campaigns and subsequent peace-making negotiations.

Narc-Kenya harbours grudges against President Kibaki on two accounts: Its leadership feels he took unnecessary risk by jumping into PNU late, putting many careers in danger.

Two, although the party stood by the President in the last three years of his turbulent first term in office, their share in the Government is not commensurate with the effort expended in propping up his presidency.

Although Karua has not said it, declaring that her name will be o the presidential ballot in 2012 is a coded message to Uhuru he is not home and dry. The party also has another leader with searchlight on the presidency in 2012 - former VP and now Internal Security minister, Prof George Saitoti.