Curfew c*mes to Uhuru and Raila rescue in Senate contest
Relief from further defeat for President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga came from unlikely sources – curfew and Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei.
After senators had voted to reject, first a move by Siaya Senator to adjourn the sitting of the House and second an amendment by Chief Whip Irungu Kang’ata to the County Revenue Allocation formula, all indications were that the President and his Handshake partner were facing a Waterloo moment.
And like a godsend Senator Cherargei alerted the Speaker that the curfew hour was nigh and the debate could not proceed.
Prof Margaret Kamar who was on the chair concurred and adjourned the sitting to Tuesday, August 4.
But that could be a calm before the storm as all indications point to another round of battle on which formula will be used to disburse funds to the devolved units.
Kang’ata is livid and has not hidden his anger and disappointment at having to drag the debate to next week.
He is quoted saying he knows those who went against the party’s position and says defiant Jubilee senators will face the music.
Whether this will be the route to Tuesday’s debate it is yet to be confirmed.
President’s accessibility
People Daily has established opinion is still divided whether the former political nemesis-turned-allies should intervene to unlock the stalemate that saw the House yesterday adjourn for the sixth time after failing to strike a balance.
Some lawmakers are of the view the President and ODM leader Odinga should offer leadership on side, while others opposed to the idea, on the side, claim, it is purely a senatorial and a parliamentary matter.
This even as the Senate Minority Leader James Orengo yesterday apportioned blame to the President’s inaccessibility to resolve the third the third Basis for sharing revenue among counties, for the Financial Year 2020/2021 to 2024/25.
Contributing to Kang’ata’s amendment that was to see postponement of the formula by two financial years, Orengo lamented that unlike retired President Kibaki, Uhuru was inaccessible to leaders.
“The thing that President Kibaki did properly, no other President will be able to do it and I am not ashamed of saying that.
I am advising the current President to be more accessible to enable us to solve these problems,” Orengo, who is a close ally of Odinga said.
“We would not have been here, if he (President) was more accessible, I’m telling you without being afraid.
I’m not saying it for me, I’m saying it for the country,” the Siaya Senator added, as his colleagues stamped their feet and chanted in support of him in a debate that lasted five hours.
Orengo lamented that the proposal to adjourn the House was something fantastic and that the House should have considered it instead of rubbishing it.
“I was being called outside of this chambers, colleagues telling me that we should have another adjournment and that I should ask senators to disappear because they can see how the votes is coming out, they can see it, the moment has come and when we want to count votes and chest thumping must stop, because it is a count,” the senator continued even as he revealed that some his colleagues had urged him to seek an adjournment motion.
Express instructions
The Minority leader spoke after his motion backed by Wetang’ula seeking to adjourn the session to allow for consensus was vehemently opposed by his colleagues He told Senators that he was disappointed in the house as they seemed to lack direction over the matter.
But in what seems like a formal rejoinder, Senate Majority Whip Irungu yesterday discounted Orengo’s claims of the President being inaccessible saying that the head of State is reachable to all elected leaders including those holding leadership positions in government.
“In Parliamentary practice, you cannot see a chief whip moving a motion because they have no opinions.
They only bring government business,” Kang’ata, who is a key ally of the President, told People Daily on Wednesday,
“So, anytime you see a chief whip doing anything, he is doing it on behalf of the government,” he said, adding that he was awaiting further instructions on how to navigate to ensure the formula is passed in the next meeting.
Senator Kang’ata’s claims were backed by Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei who held that any government business tabled in the house by committee is done by the majority headed President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is the leader of Jubilee coalition.
“There was express instructions from President Kenyatta, by the fact that the document was tabled by the chair of the committee Kirinyaga Senator Charles Kibiru, this shows it had the express position of the President,” Cherargei also said in an interview with People Daily.
The Nandi senator nevertheless agreed with Senator Orengo noting that the President should be accessible at any given time so “that we can have a discussion because this is the future of the nation, this is a serious issue that cannot only be handled by the senate”
“We not only need the President but the entire country to have this discussion.
I hope by Tuesday we will be able to have consulted across the board and arrive at a conclusion of the protracted formula,” the Nandi lawmaker held.
On his part, Elgeyo Marakwet Kipchumba Murkomen wondered why on such a very important issue as County Allocation of Revenue Formula the President has not convened Jubilee Party PG to give his members clear direction.
Murkomen, who was removed from his seat as the Senate Majority leader because of his dalliance with Deputy President William Ruto, said during his regime he did his best to ensure the Jubilee agenda succeeds in the Senate.
“I also rendered my honest advice to the President and the Party on what I thought was best for the country.
We were removed unprocedurally to pave the way for “President’s trusted handshake men,” he said.
“But now about 75 per cent of the Majority Party Leadership is opposed to a proposed formula that’s marketed by the President and his men,” he added.
Migori Senator Ochillo Ayacko and his Narok counterpart Ledama ole Kina advised the President and Odinga not to engage in the revenue sharing standoff because every person in the country, big or small is concerned with what is going on.
“The President and ODM leader Raila Odinga are equally concerned, in regards to the formula it is purely the business of the senate and politics of diversity.
If you look at the manner in which voting was being done, people were voting according to how they were lobbied by the concerned factions and stakeholders of their counties,” Ayacko disclosed.
Senator Ole Kina held that the revenue debacle should not be reduced to party affiliations as it is a national issue.
According to the Narok Senator, the constitution does not envisage a situation where a decision that affects counties is done along party affliction, we will be dividing this nation,”
“What we are doing is we are helping Uhuru build a legacy because he does not have none, the big four agenda died, in fact, if you ask me what he has is only NMS,” he said.
He added: “I long for time this country will respect the doctrine of power, but when we have some operatives sitting in Parliament to see how we are voting, it is wrong,” we want this country to remain united.
