RAILA AFRAID

Raila Odinga appeared to retreat to avoid a looming battle with PNU over who should be leader of Government Business in Parliament.

ODM’s move not to include his name on the House Business Committee puts him out of the running for the position he had gunned for.

The PM’s allies also seemed to be attempting to kill two birds with one stone by removing Agriculture Minister William Ruto and two of his allies from the committee.

Mr Ruto, who is also Eldoret North MP, has turned out to be the strongest critic of Raila within ODM.

Yesterday, the row in the House centred on whether there were consultations before the changes were made. But an ODM MP who did not want to be identified said: "The bigger picture in the scheme is the attempt to save face for Raila by avoiding the battle with PNU."

He also added there was fear within ODM circles allied to the PM that a censure Motion could easily be tabled in Parliament.

"That is why they removed the names of Ruto and the other two MPs and replaced them with supporters of the PM," the MP told The Standard.

Kigumo MP Jamleck Kamau (PNU) who has a pending Motion on who should be leader of Government Business in Parliament said he would go ahead with his Motion.

"My Motion is on course and I am certain we will win to allow the President to appoint the leader of government business," he said.

Mr Kamau said the crisis in ODM should not be allowed to paralyse parliamentary business and called on the party leaders not drag their disputes to derail functions of the House.

Throw in towel?

Raila’s absence from the committee will mean he would have given up the chance to contest for the position since he would have to be a member of HBC to qualify for the position.

In 2008, after the Grand Coalition Government was formed, there was a standoff in Parliament when the PM said he had appointed himself to the position, clashing with President Kibaki, who had appointed Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka to the position.

National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende put the dispute in suspension after he ruled he would act as chairman of the HBC until the two coalition partners reached an agreement.

Mr Marende’s ruling was widely hailed for ending a disagreement that threatened the coalition.

Indications the PM was planning to throw in the towel emerged on Monday when he met ODM ministers at his Treasury office.

Raila is said to have told the ministers that he had given up desire for the position because he "has a busy schedule".

Two ministers and close allies of the PM are said to have disagreed with him over the decision.

Yesterday, ODM chief whip Jakoyo Midiwo said: "The PM is too busy to represent the party in the HBC, in fact he hardly attends the meetings, so there was no need to keep him".

Due to the rifts in ODM pitting Raila and Ruto, PNU was poised to win the contest after allies of the agriculture minister gave indications that they would vote with the president’s party.

Political Science Lecturer Adams Oloo says the move by ODM appears to be an attempt to position the party to fight even at the level of the HBC.

"It looks that ODM plans to fight even the Motion over Leader of Government Business at the level of the committee and defer it to another time when its wrangles could have subsided," he said.

Party feud

On the removal of Ruto, Dr Oloo said the action might have been informed by the current rift between the minister and the party leader.

Besides the contest over who should be leader of government business, there are signs that PNU feels rejuvenated and is ready to take on its coalition partner inside the House unlike the previous sessions when ODM had the upper hand.