Poghisio: Vote on revenue was strange but we will strike a deal
Hillary Mageka @hillarymageka
Forces allied to President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga in the Senate revenue sharing standoff appeared to throw in the towel ahead of a decisive vote on Monday.
A resigned Senate Majority Leader Samuel Poghisio told People Daily efforts to reach a consensus had almost hit a dead end and called for patience.
According to Poghisio, various interests had converged to frustrate the process.
He cautioned that the matter might not be concluded even in Monday’s special sitting.
“Kenyans should be patient. The discussion is not about to end any time. We are in for the full hog.
Everyone wants to pull in a different direction to prevent finality.
Our opponents from the so-called losing counties are using all the tricks in the book to defeat the motion,” Poghisio said yesterday.
The West Pokot Senator said matters became complicated when some senators from counties gaining extra cash in the Third Basis sharing formula rejected the proposal in solidarity with colleagues from losing regions.
“We are witnessing a strange phenomenon of voting after the gainers joined the so-called losers.
There is now a strong collaboration to sustain the battle. I expect a strong push and pull until there is a settlement that shows a semblance of fairness,” he said.
“It is a novel pattern where senators have decided to vote in sympathy with others. But we are cautioning that the gaining counties have nothing to lose because they will win anyway.
“There is no certainty that the matter will be concluded. We have two amendments on the table for debate and nothing prevents senators from proposing more.
It is a long process but the Senate has no choice but to exercise its mandate of sharing revenue.”
But speaking separately in Bungoma, Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka expressed confidence that the House will dispense with the matter amicably.
‘’We will convene a special sitting which I am sure will be a final one on this issue as it will end the current stalemate over revenue allocation,’’ said Lusaka during the burial of John Mukenya, the father of Nairobi City County ICT chief officer Peter Mukenya Lusaka said he was forced to adjourn the Tuesday sitting because senators were not agreeing.
Expressed concerns
“As a referee, my work is to control but not to take sides. So when I see things are not going well, I blow the whistle to end the game,’’ said Lusaka.
“The Senate is now exercising its powers by ensuring that there is prudence in the use of funds meant for devolution and it’s now upon the governors to take care,’’ he added.
Monday’s session will be the ninth special senate sitting in two months – to debate and vote on the controversial revenue sharing issue.
The sitting was initially scheduled for today but was rescheduled because of “various technicalities”.
“Due to technicalities and the requirements for a special sitting, we shall have the sitting on Monday,” Lusaka told People Daily in a phone interview yesterday.
The Speaker had on Tuesday ordered senators to reconvene today after he adjourned the session to allow members beat the 9pm curfew.
The House broke for a one month recess on Tuesday, which means any siting in between must be gazetted as a special convention.
Such a sitting requires a petition by either the Majority Leader or Minority Leader supported by at least 15 members.
“Whenever during a session the Senate stands adjourned, whether or not a day has been appointed for the next meeting, the Speaker may, on the request of the Senate Majority Leader or the Senate Minority Leader, and in each case with the support of at least fifteen Senators, appoint a day for a special sitting of the Senate,” Standing Order 30 (1) states.
Before the abrupt interruption of the Tuesday session, the lawmakers had haggled over procedural issues, amid claims there was a pre-determined position the Executive was pushing.
Besides, the debate had throughout the afternoon been characterised by accusations of bias on the part of the Speaker, with emotions boiling over.
“There seemed to be a sinister motive on the several points of order raised by a section of members before even looking at the substantive business of the day.
If amendments were to come, they were supposed to come yesterday; the Speaker seems to be instructed from outside,” Isiolo Senator Fatuma Dullo claimed.
“There was and there is a plot to buy time to intimidate us so as to win members to their side,” Dullo, who is the deputy Majority Leader, added.
As Dullo spoke, Mandera Senator Mohammed Mahamud tweeted: “The Senate is under siege. There is also a leadership crisis of insurmountable magnitude.”
However, Lusaka dismissed accusations of bias as “baseless”, saying he had followed precedents, tradition and House standing orders to adjourn the sitting so as to beat the curfew deadline.
“I honestly and deep down my heart want this stalemate to end. My commitment to this issue is unequivocal, this is explained from the last adjournment sought by Senator Kipchumba Murkomen which went through and I formed a team to try to build consensus. It didn’t take place, because of obvious reasons,” he said.
“Yesterday’s (Tuesday) adjournment was necessitated by curfew and a similar ruling was given two weeks ago.
Now that we are here, I want this stalemate resolved by the next sitting, we will not adjourn again until we are done.”
Narok Senator Ledama ole Kina, however, demanded that Lusaka be impeached as he “does not know his job anymore”.
Procedural issues
“This game of musical chairs is shameful to the country. It is time that these individuals pushing and misadvising the Speaker knew that they will never win, we have defeated them thrice and Kenyans know,” ole Kina, a member of Team Kenya which opposes to the formula developed by the Committee of Finance and Budget, said.
However, Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Junior disagreed with any attempts to censure or impeach the Speaker, saying such a move will erode all gains achieved in the quest for a fair distribution of resources.
“There is that impression that the Speaker should be impeached but for the purposes of what we have been doing, we will deal with that at a later date, for now we want to complete the business,” he said.
His sentiments were echoed by Nandi’s Samson Cherargei who called for fairness in judging the Speaker, saying the Senate is run by traditions, rules, procedures and precedents,
“These individuals (Team Kenya) are pursuing personal vendetta against the Speaker, the people accusing the Speaker of adjourning the House unprocedurally are also members who sit in the Senate Business Committee,” he said.
