PNU MPs yesterday appeared divided over whether to overturn the ruling by Speaker Kenneth Marende that required the judicial nominations made by President Kibaki conducted afresh.
While one group of MPs vowed to go ahead with plans to introduce a motion in Parliament tomorrow to throw out Marende’s ruling, the second group said it will reject such a motion.
The MPs also appeared divided on whether to support plans by PNU leaders to have the party quit the coalition government. PNU first vice chairman Noah Wekesa said he will not back the plan to pull out of the coalition government or support the motion to reject Marende’s ruling. The same position was taken by PNU MPs Eugene Wamalwa (Saboti) and Kareke Mbiuki (Nithi). “These people should give us time to fulfill promises we promised our electorate. I have moved across the country and no Kenyan wants the coalition to end now. Politicians may want to do so for their own reasons,” said Wekesa who is the Forestry and Wildlife minister.
He described the current crisis as 'political theatrics'' and appealed to the political leadership to avoid implementing the constitution by violating it. "The constitution must be followed to the letter,” said Wekesa adding that President Kibaki's nominations had not met the threshold set by the new constitution.
Speaking in Teso North, Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa said MPs intending to censure Marende and overturn his ruling were doing so for their own selfish interests.
He urged the two principals to put an end to what he described as the 'cat-and-mouse-game" being played by the MPs. "This is not a contest of who is mightier between Raila and Kibaki," he added.
Mbiuki, who is a key ally of Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta around whom the PNU MPs have coalesced, said he will not support any moves to censure Marende. “We must learn to make corrections whenever we are told we are wrong. Let us give this process a rethink. The idea of censuring the Speaker will only escalate this matter further,” Mbiuki said.
Last Friday PNU vice chairmen George Nyamweya, Jimmy Angwenyi and Jamleck Kamau, the party's organising secretary Maina Kamanda and Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni announced that the party will on March 11 hold a national delegates conference which is expected to endorse the party leadership's decision to pull out of the coalition.
The MPs vowed to overturn Marende’s ruling and accused him of being partisan and of usurping the President's powers by rejecting the nominations.
Speaking at a rally in Wangige bus stop in Kabete, Uhuru and 15 other PNU MPs said they would fight to have Parliament reverse the decision by Marende.
Accusing the Speaker of being partisan, Uhuru and the other MPs described the ruling as a 'constitutional coup" aimed at overthrowing the president.“The ruling was aimed at shaming the President. Because the Speaker wanted to assist another person for 2012 he decided to deny us debate on the committee report. He decided to act outside the law and we term this a constitutional coup aimed at overthrowing president Kibaki,” Public Health minister Beth Mugo said.
The MPs accused Raila of causing the current stalemate and said he was the major setback in the implementation of the constitution.
Uhuru likened Raila's style of leadership to that of a child who throws a tantrum every time things do not go his way. “They are the ones stalling the implementation process but they want to paint to the whole world the picture that he is a reformer and the rest of us are anti-reformists,” Uhuru added.
Speaking in Teso where he was attending a funds drive, suspended Higher Education minister William Ruto criticised Marende for "going overboard' in his ruling and said Parliament would 'rectify the anomaly" tomorrow. “I respect the Speaker but his ruling went beyond his capacity. If the two principals have disagreed that is not our problem," he said.
Information minister Samuel Poghisio said Marende had made a 'blunder' in contradicting the President and wondered whether the Speaker 'was strong to weather the storm which is coming" following the ruling which had divided the House.
Konoin MP Dr Julius Kones said he and other ODM pro-Ruto MPs would rally behind their PNU counterparts in "dealing" with Raila and Marende on the floor of the House tomorrow. “The National Assembly is not Marende and Marende is not the National Assembly," said Kones who also hinted that they were also exploring ways of abolishing the Prime Minister’s office by diluting the National Accord and Reconciliation Act of 2008. “To some of us, the Act is unconstitutional and should be repealed,” said Kones.
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