Nairobi (Alshahid) -Kenya’s president and prime minister have met for the first time since a power struggle broke out a week ago which threatened the unity government. The Tuesday meeting precedes the State opening of the 4th session of the 10th parliament. The two men were locked in talks in the president’s office in Nairobi.
There was bad blood after President Mwai Kibaki overturned a decision by Prime Minister Raila Odinga to suspend two ministers suspected of corruption. Mr Odinga announced the suspension of Education minister Sam Ongeri and Agriculture Minister William Ruto over corruption allegations, but the move was swiftly overturned by the President, sparking the standoff. Mr Ruto is a deputy party leader in ODM and Prof Ongeri is allied to PNU.
The Prime Minister reacted by declaring a dispute in the Grand Coalition Government and invited Kenya’s now chief mediator, Mr Kofi Annan, to intervene. Annan declined and instead called upon the principals to work together. A section of ODM MPs led by Anyang Nyong’o and Orengo announced that it would boycott Cabinet meetings.
On Monday, Mr Odinga and Mr Ruto met for the first time since the suspension was reversed by President Kibaki. This was a surprise move by Mr Ruto which many view as a daring posture to gauge the ODM section calling for a party mechanism aimed at punishing Ruto and his ODM allies. It was at a meeting of ODM Cabinet ministers that was held at the Treasury to review the agenda of the year.
The 220 MPs reconvene to a busy agenda, with the most onerous task being the constitutional review. A myriad of issues are bound to steer the tempo of this session; a section of ODM from Rift Valley and Coast will not automatically vote with the position of party loyalists from Nyanza.
The House will be minus two MPs — Mr Omingo Magara (South Mugirango) and Mr Chirau Mwakwere (Matuga) — whose elections were nullified by the courts.
There will also be the case of the youthful Saboat MP Eugene Wamalwa who has launched a serious presidential campaign on a youth’s platform. His alliances may affect parliament agenda too.
The experts who have been refining the revised draft are scheduled to return it to the Parliamentary Select Committee for tabling before the House for seven days of debate.
In Parliament the President will deliver a policy statement which MPs will debate for four days.
February 24, 2010 at 7:41 am
This is a bit biased..who are Eugene Wamalwa’s alliance members?