At a press conference after a full day of bickering on who is to sit in
the House Business Committee an important organ that decides what is
to be debated the MPs blamed the two leaders for bringing their
supremacy fight to Parliament. They said the trouble is that there is
no agreement in government on who between Mr Odinga and Mr Musyoka is
to be the Leader of Government Business in Parliament and chairman of
the House Business Committee.
MPs Bonny Khalwale (New Ford Kenya), Jamleck Kamau (PNU), Joseph Kiuna
(PNU) and Cyrus Jirongo (Kaddu) challenged Mr Kibaki to choose between
Mr Musyoka and Mr Odinga to take charge of Government affairs in the
House. The PM and the VP should take their ego competition out of the
House. Kibaki can emulate Moi and rotate the position of Leader of
Government Business, Dr Khalwale said.
MPs twice failed to agree, but there was no overt indication on the
floor that the fight was about leadership. The impasse is a major test
for a truce called after a meeting by Mr Odinga and Mr Kibaki recently
following weeks of bickering and political intrigue.
The VP is traditionally the Leader of Government Business and chairs
the committee, but Orange MPs, on the sidelines of the debate, argued
that according to the National Accord, the PM is the supervisor and
coordinator of government and should therefore be its leader in the
House.
The MPs, in conversations with the Daily Nation, were confident that
they will use their numbers in the House to make sure Mr Odinga becomes
the Leader of Government Business and the chair of the HBC, positions
currently held by Mr Musyoka.
To step down
They also said Cabinet minister Henry Kosgey had agreed to step down
from the committee to make way for Mr Odinga. The Orange MPs said, and
the Daily Nation could not confirm, that they called their meeting
after hearing that the President had allegedly written to Speaker
Kenneth Marende informing him that the VP would continue in his role as
Leader of Government Business and chairman of the committee.
The rules of the House require that the President nominates the leader
in writing. The same MPs claimed they had been informed that Mr Odinga
has similarly written to the Speaker, laying claim to the two
positions. Mr Odinga could not be reached on his telephone on Wednesday
evening.
The Orange MPs had claimed that during their weekend retreat in the
Rift Valley district of Naivasha, the party resolved to take over all
House committees, but when asked about it at a Monday press conference,
party secretary-general Anyang' Nyong'o had replied: Your guess is as
good as mine.
After Parliament was forced to adjourn, the Speaker warned MPs that if
they voted to reject the list, then it cannot be re-introduced until
after six months and without the committee the House will basically be
shut.
Crying for leadership
He passionately pleaded with MPs to cast aside their party interests
and demonstrate leadership. Kenyans are crying for leadership, he
said as MPs strolled out. In the morning session, Cabinet ministers
Charity Ngilu, Beth Mugo, assistant minister Kabando wa Kabando and MPs
Martha Karua (Gichugu, Narc-K), Olago Aluoch (Kisumu Town West, ODM)
and Gitobu Imanyara (Imenti Central, CCU) spoke rejecting the nominees.
PNU MPs retreated to Parliament's old chambers to agree on a list. The
initial complaint was gender, with speakers saying it was wrong for the
VP to ignore the President's directive that 30 per cent of appointments
be made up of women. The outgoing committee had only three women Ms
Karua, Ms Ngilu and Dr Sally Kosgei. However, no objections were raised
possibly because the country was fragile, having just emerged from
post-election violence.
On Wednesday, Ms Karua, fresh in the Opposition after resigning as
Justice minister, accused the Kibaki-side of government of using
strong-arm tactics in muzzling the small parties that form part of the
coalition government. Narc-Kenya has more than 12 members in this
House, therefore we deserve a slot, she said, adding that since the
Kibaki side of government was the minority in Parliament, it could as
well leave the (government) leadership to the majority.
Mukurweini MP Kabando wa Kabando (Safina) was also against the list,
saying it neglected the small parties in the PNU coalition. Dr Khalwale
also questioned why the big boys only came to the small parties when
they needed numbers. He moved an amendment to have half of the
committee members come from the back-bench.
The VP withdrew the list for consultations, saying: There has to be
agreement in the constitution of this committee, therefore let's meet
and agree on the list. Education assistant minister Ayiecho Olweny
took issue with Mr Musyoka for picking another ODM-K member, Mr Mutula
Kilonzo, to second the motion.
This just goes to show a divided House since you cannot trust any
other member to support you, Prof Olweny said. Housing minister Soita
Shitanda termed the stand-off a mere jostling for positions in the
crucial committee.
Already agreed
Lands minister James Orengo asked Mr Musyoka to stop displaying the
tendencies of a dysfunctional government when the VP said that the
PNU side of government had already agreed on its list of nominees and
now the ball was in ODM's court. At the Orange MPs' meeting, members
said it had been agreed that Prof Nyong'o withdraws in favour of Sotik
MP Joyce Laboso.
In the PNU meeting, MPs said they had agreed to nominate ODM deputy
party leader Musalia Mudavadi to be deputy Leader of Government
Business. They also said they had resolved that representation to the
important committee be restricted to parliamentary parties only, which
would lock out Ms Karua who was elected on a PNU ticket but insists her
party, Narc-K, will conduct business inside and outside Parliament as
an independent party.
Daily Nation
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