Brace for a tough fight, Speaker told

By NATION TEAMPosted Sunday, February 20 2011 at 20:59

A group of Rift Valley MPs has vowed to take on House Speaker Kenneth Marende over his ruling on the Kibaki list.

The MPs allied to Eldoret North lawmaker William Ruto claimed that rather than playing his role as an unbiased arbiter, the Speaker had become an agent of Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

Speaking at St Maria Cheptulon Girls’ Secondary School in Marakwet West constituency during a fundraiser presided over by Mr Ruto, Information minister Samuel Poghisio accused Mr Marende of usurping the powers of the Executive.

Mr Ruto termed the Speaker’s ruling “unfortunate” and accused him of being Mr Odinga’s henchman in Parliament.

“Marende should brace himself for a tough battle in the House this week,” warned Cherangany MP Joshua Kutuny.

Mr Ruto also took issue with the PM’s remarks during a recent tour of North Eastern that should the 2007 post-election violence suspects not be taken to The Hague, chaos will erupt again in the next General Election.

“We are telling him that is not how Kenya is built. We campaigned for him even in the turbulent moments and now he is championing that we should be taken to The Hague,” he said.

Elsewhere, Roads assistant minister Lee Kinyanjui claimed the Speaker’s ruling was “out of order and must be challenged because the names of the nominees should have been brought to the House for debate, but when ODM sensed defeat, they influenced Mr Marende to rule in their favour.”