Ligale team kicked out of Coast hotel

 

Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission chairman Andrew Ligale 

By NATION TEAM newsdesk@nation.co.kePosted Wednesday, November 17 2010 at 21:00

In Summary

• Heated debate in Parliament as boundary review commission’s retreat at a Coast hotel forced to abort

The work of a key commission reviewing constituency boundaries appeared to have been paralysed on Wednesday after a court order was served at their offices in Nairobi.

 

The Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission cancelled a meeting at a Mombasa hotel where it was to write its final reports before its tenure expires in about nine days.

Seven commissioners, including chairman Andrew Ligale left the Serena Beach Hotel as MPs engaged in a heated debate over the list of new constituencies in Parliament.

Parliament spent most of the afternoon debating the list, which is still lying on the Government Printer’s desk awaiting gazettement.

In the morning, House business was adjourned for lack of quorum and some MPs said they had boycotted the session to push for the publication of the list.

The commission’s secretary, Ms Catherine Kola, is said to have advised the commissioners not to proceed with their Mombasa meeting after a court order stopping the gazettement of the list was served.

Sources in Nairobi said the Ligale team was informed they would be meeting illegally and that any decisions they make will be null and void.

Businessman John Kimanthi Mwangi obtained the orders barring gazettement of the new constituencies after he successfully argued that the commission did not consult stakeholders in setting the new boundaries.

Coerce the Executive

He also argued that three of the commissioners — Mr Ligale, Ms Rozah Buyu and Ms Irene Masit — were serving in the commission illegally and in contravention of the Constitution.

According to the Constitution, any person who held a party position or vied for a political seat in the preceding five years before the formation of the IIBRC should not be appointed to the commission.

The court will also determine the eligibility of three commissioners to hold office.

Immediately after Parliament adjourned its morning session, assistant minister Adan Duale claimed that MPs were carrying out their threat on Tuesday that they would paralyse House business until the government publishes the list of the 80 new constituencies in the Kenya Gazette.

The Duji’s MP said “it was just the beginning” of their boycott of House business to coerce the Executive to gazette the constituencies list.

The court order and a directive from a top government official blocked the publication of the list on Tuesday. Some MPs claimed Head of Civil Service Francis Muthaura was behind the directive.

However, Government spokesman Alfred Mutua dismissed the allegations, stating that Mr Muthaura did not issue any directives to the Government Printer.

“The allegations have no basis whatsoever, they are unfounded because at no time did Mr Muthaura instruct or interfere with the working of the Government Printer,” he said.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga saidon Wednesday evening that the current debate was ‘a storm in a tea cup’ and was optimistic that MPs would soon agree and bring the matter to a close.

“You cannot please everybody; I do not think it is a serious issue. There is always a tendency to make noise and am sure that will be dealt with,” said Mr Odinga said on Wednesday at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after his arrived from India.

In Mombasa, sources said Mr Ligale checked into the Serena Beach hotel about three days ago and spent most of the time alone perusing the commission’s documents.

His colleagues joined him on Tuesday for a retreat that was expected to start yesterday until tomorrow, but yesterday morning, all reservations were cancelled abruptly.

 

The commissioners returned to Nairobi.

“No reason was given for the cancellation of the reservations, but we were informed that our guests were warned nobody would pay for their accommodation if they continued staying here,” said one of the hotel workers.

During the retreat, the commissioners were expected to review their work and prepare a winding up report before the commission’s term expires on November 27.

In Parliament, the morning session just took 10 minutes as the Temporary Deputy Speaker Gitobu Imanyara dropped eight questions and one motion in accordance with the Standing Orders.

Kigumo MP Jamleck Kamau dismissed the debate as “the theatre of the absurd.”

Nominated MP Rachel Shebesh however said it can’t be the theatre of the absurd since 93 MPs had signed a petition that the new constituencies be gazetted.

—Reports by Mathias Ringa, Oliver Mathenge, Njeri Rugene and Alphonce Shiundu