Nominated MP Rachel Shebesh. Photo Nation Media Group
By BILLY MUIRURI bmuiruri@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Saturday, September 8 2012 at 19:53
Posted Saturday, September 8 2012 at 19:53
IN SUMMARY
- Her utterances in the past few weeks have revealed a politician at odds with her party.
- But she has neither confirmed nor denied that Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta’s TNA is in her sights.
- The latest indicator of her dining with anti-Odinga forces was the unusual defence of embattled Transport minister Amos Kimunya last Tuesday.
Nominated MP Rachael Shebesh could exit Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s inner circle of foot soldiers and ODM.
The vocal MP, who has built her political career defending Mr Odinga, is reportedly mulling a future outside the party that nominated her to Parliament.
Her utterances in the past few weeks have revealed a politician at odds with her party.
Ms Shebesh has fallen short of declaring support for another presidential candidate in 2013.
Is tenable
In a telephone interview with the Sunday Nation last Friday, Ms Shebesh said she would remain in ODM as long as her stay there “is tenable”.
She would neither confirm nor deny that Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta’s TNA was in her sights.
“In Nairobi, you can only make political sense if you are in TNA or ODM. If one finds ODM does not want him or her, the only other way to go is to join TNA,” she said.
The MP has declared her interest to run for the Women’s Representative seat in Nairobi.
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The latest indicator of her dining with anti-Odinga forces was the unusual defence of embattled Transport minister Amos Kimunya last Tuesday. (READ: Kimunya, Ndung'u survive House censure)
The MP teamed up with Kanu Nominated MP Amina Abdalla to make amendments that saved Mr Kimunya and Central Bank of Kenya Governor Njuguna Ndung’u.
Ms Shebesh termed the onslaught against Mr Kimunya “political” and successfully pushed changes that prevented the Public Accounts Committee from recommending that the two should not hold public office.
They also struck out a recommendation to have the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission investigate the minister and CBK governor.
And when Water minister Charity Ngilu launched her presidential campaign last Sunday, Ms Shebesh paid glowing tribute to the Narc leader declaring her “the best choice” for State House.
This turnaround comes hot on heels of the “slow puncture” experienced by the ODM Reloaded team led by Housing assistant minister Margaret Wanjiru.
Ms Shebesh is unhappy with the way the Orange Women Democrats elections were conducted. The MP had run for the organising secretary’s seat and lost.
“I have registered my dismay at what happened. If the party commits itself fully to do the elections afresh, I will give it a second chance,” she said.
The fallout over the elections seems to have rekindled a bitter rivalry between the MP and Kasarani MP Elizabeth Ongoro.
After the elections, where Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s allies carried the day, Mrs Ongoro dismissed the losers, saying they would still lose “even if the elections were held 10 times”.
The elections were conducted through mlolongo (queue voting) method.
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