NO CABINET MEETINGS

Ministers from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party will boycott Cabinet meetings until the current crisis in the coalition government is resolved, Land Minister James Orengo announced on Tuesday.

Mr Orengo, a close ally of Prime Minister Raila Odinga, said the boycott will continue until the dispute between PNU and ODM was resolved.

“ODM ministers shall be uncomfortable attending the meetings and shall therefore boycott Cabinet sessions until the crisis is resolved,” he said.

He spoke at a Press conference at his offices at Ardhi House before heading for the party meeting.

However, Agriculture minister William Ruto, who is a member of the party’s governing council - the top decision making organ of the party - said he would attend the sessions.

“This is my own decision. They should stop running the affairs of the party as if it were their own,” he said.

“ODM is bigger than individuals,” Mr Ruto added.

Tourism minister Najib Balala also declared that he will defy the announcement and attend Cabinet meetings whenever they are called.

He accused a few leaders in ODM for running the party like “a one-man show set up “ and warned that such dictatorial tendencies will not strengthen the party.

“This is the dictatorial thing that some of us in the party are opposed to, because they don't consult anybody. If they want us to pull together, they must learn to senior members like us who belong to the Pentagon”

He expressed shock that he was with Mr Orengo in the morning on Tuesday, yet the Lands minister never informed him of the afternoon announcement.

“I was with Orengo this (Tuesday) morning, sat next to him, but he never mentioned a thing! I will not buy that.”

On Sunday, the leader of the party - Mr Odinga - suspended Mr Ruto for three months, saying he was named in the maize scandal and therefore needed to pave way for investigations.

But a defiant Mr Ruto said Mr Odinga was not “his appointing authority” and asked Mr Odinga to first resign for having chaired a sub-committee that approved the procurement of the grains illegally.

However, Mr Orengo on Tuesday exonerated Mr Odinga of any wrongdoing in the procurement of subsidised maize, as the chairman of a Cabinet sub-committee that approved the importation.

“Mr Odinga chairs all sub-committees of Cabinet except that of security,” he said “if that is the allegation then, the entire Cabinet is responsible for the sleaze and fraud.”

According to the Price Waterhouse Coopers report on the maize scandal, the country lost an estimated Sh2 billion from the deal.

Mr Orengo said the report of that sub-committee on the maize procurement was presented to the Cabinet by the line ministry and not Mr Odinga.

“If you take the proceedings of the procurement of the maize, you will find that it was the line ministries that did it, Mr Odinga’s function was only to coordinate the sub-committees,” he argued.

But the Parliamentary committee on Agriculture chaired by Naivasha MP John Mututho wants Mr Odinga to explain his role in the procurement of the maize.

At the same conference, Mr Orengo took on Attorney General Amos Wako for his comments on Monday about the Constitutional provisions of the President.

According to him, the President cannot hire or fire a minister of a party that is not affiliated to PNU, without due consultation and consent of the head of the other party.

“The provisions of the National Accord are superior to those provided for by the Constitution.”

“That person also has to be nominated by the party.”

He termed Mr Wako interpretation of the law as full of falsehoods.

“That was completely irresponsible of him, and he should tell whether he is a lawyer for the PNU or the government.”