Deputy Prime minister Uhuru Kenyatta (right), Cheranganyi MP Joshua Kutuny (centre) and Limuru MP Peter Mwathi at Wangige shopping centre during a rally on February 20 2011. Photo/PHOEBE OKALL
By NATION TEAMPosted Sunday, February 20 2011 at 21:10
Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta on Sunday led a group of 15 MPs allied to PNU in branding ODM as anti-reformist.
The MPs, mostly drawn from the Rift Valley and Mount Kenya regions, maintained that the Orange party was behind the Speaker’s ruling which termed presidential nominations to four offices as unconstitutional. (Read: Marende: Sorry, go back and try again)
President Kibaki had nominated officials to the posts of Chief Justice, Attorney-General, Director of Public Prosecution and Director of Budget.
“The ruling was a surprise because the committees given the mandate to table reports agreed that there had been consultation between the two principals,” Mr Kenyatta said at a rally in Wangige, Kikuyu constituency.
Mr Kenyatta said Kenyans had set a deadline for appointing the new Chief Justice when they passed the new Constitution and it would be a disservice if ODM went against Kenyans’ wishes.
The current CJ’s term is expected to expire on Sunday, February 27 — six months after the new Constitution was promulgated.
Last week, Mr Marende said that there was insufficient consultation between the Prime Minister and the President as envisaged in the National Accord and hence barred MPs from debating the reports of the parliamentary committees, which had been reviewing the nominees.
On Sunday, Public Health Minister Beth Mugo said the Speaker was aiding his allies ahead of the 2012 General Election by denying Parliament a chance to debate the names.
Naivasha MP John Mututho accused the Speaker of anticipating a motion and ruling over it before it could even be started.
Others who attended the rally include MPs Linah Jebii Kilimo, Ferdinand Waititu, Njoroge Baiya, David Njuguna, Joshua Kutuny, Lee Kinyanjui, Silas Muriki, Maison Leshomo, Mohamed Sirat, Peter Mwathi, Wilfred Ombui and Lewis Nguyiai.
Separately, Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka on Sunday played down the ongoing wrangles in the coalition over the nominations, saying the President had provided the way forward.
He said President Kibaki’s direction that the constitutionality of the matter be determined by the Constitutional Court should assure the country that the Head of State respects the rule of law, and that he had chosen the best way to handle the crisis.
“Kenyans should await the determination of the court,” Mr Musyoka said, terming the current crisis as a storm in tea cup.
He was speaking at Kimathi University in Nyeri County, during this year’s Scouts Movement Founder’s day celebrations, which was attended by more than 40,000 members.
However, former Speaker and chief scout Francis ole Kaparo castigated parliamentarians for making unnecessary noise that only served to fuel the differences between the coalition partners.
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