SULEIMAN MBATIAH / NATION Harun Ndumbi flanked by other members of the civil society addresses journalists at Crown Plaza in Nairobi on February 14, 2011. The group asked the Speaker of the National Assembly Kennedy Marende to declare the controversial appointments unconstitutional.
By WALTER MENYA wmenya@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Monday, February 14 2011 at 21:00
In Summary
- Rights groups say procedure followed by the President is wanting
More than 30 civil society groups have appealed to National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende to declare unconstitutional President Kibaki’s controversial nominations to four constitutional posts.
Under the banner Kenyans for Peace with Truth and Justice, they said the procedure followed by the President was wanting.
They also took issue with the two parliamentary departmental committees over the manner they had handled the deadlock over the nominations.
Divisions among members of the House committees on Justice and Legal Affairs and Finance emerged on Sunday as three ODM MPs claimed they had received threats that their security would be withdrawn.
But on Monday, government spokesman Alfred Mutua dismissed the alleged threats to Mr Olago Aluoch (Kisumu Town West), Ms Millie Odhiambo (nominated) and Mr John Mbadi (Gwasi) as untrue.
In their petition read by Kenya National Commission on Human Rights chairperson Florence Jaoko, the truth and justice lobby group said: “Through his ruling, the Speaker gave the committees the chance to redeem the nomination process. Instead, the MPs true to form are engaging in a process of horse-trading that lacks all integrity and transparency and any rationale.
She added: “It remains completely unclear how Parliament will address the problem of lack of gender equality in this opaque process.”
The civil society groups said the only solution to the impasse lay with the Speaker.
They urged Mr Marende “not to let us down” when he rules today after the two committees submit their reports on the legitimacy and credibility of the constitutional implementation process.
“We ask the Speaker to rise to the occasion and do what he should have done: declare these nominations unconstitutional,” the lobby group said.
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