Uhuru Team Set To Control Both Houses

President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta after being winner in the hotly-contested election.

BY HUDSON GUMBIHI, MERCY MWAI AND ANTHONY MWANGI
MONDAY, 11 MARCH, 2013

President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta is bound to have an easy time pushing forth his government’s agenda through Parliament and the Senate as the Jubilee alliance enjoys more strength in both houses over the main opposition Cord. In a forming his government, the new president is required to appoint Cabinet secretaries who must be vetted by parliament, that will act as the key watchdog of the Executive. Parliament will also vet appointments of all appointments of senior public servants that the president would make.

The coveted seats of the speakers of the Senate and National Assembly and the leaders of majority parties in both houses would also be in Jubilee’s hands, which clinched the presidential and deputy seats through Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto in the hotly contested race against Cord’s Raila Odinga. Their swearing in awaits the determination of a Supreme Court determination of an election dispute expected to be filed today by Raila, who refused to concede defeat.

The functions of the president with the approval of National Assembly include appointing of dismissing Cabinet Secretaries (ministers), the Attorney General, Secretary to the Cabinet, Principal Secretaries, High Commissioners, Ambassadors, Diplomatic and Consular representatives. The Jubilee Alliance has 135 members of the National Assembly against 117 for CORD.

The Amani Coalition of Musalia Mudavadi has 18 MPs while the Alliance Party of Kenya (APK) of Kiraitu Murungi has seven MPs who could pool with Jubilee. Its number will also be boosted more by nominations which could another seven MPs, and others from small parties that could help it surpass the 150 mark.

There are three MPs in the National Assembly elected independently while the Eagle Alliance has two MPs with the rest eight being shared out by the smaller parties. Jubilee will also likely have a commanding say in the 60-member Senate, having bagged 21 seats from its affiliate parties of TNA (12) and URP (9).

However, the parliamentary influence will depend on other factors including realignment to bring on board fringe parties. Uhuru’s side also has numerical advantage of one woman representative over its Cord rival. It bagged 23 seats against Cord’s 22. The 47 women representatives will seat in the National Assembly where there shall be a number of nominated members from disadvantaged groups.

Coveted positions that each of the big parties will be craving are those of the speaker in each house and leader of majority. The jobs were promised to some individuals in the heat of the campaigns and the test will come when the houses convene.

Sources told The People those in the frame for the Speaker’s jobs include former parliament speakers Kenneth Marende and his predecessor Francis Kaparo and Justice minister Eugene Wamalwa. Among former Cabinet ministers likely to bounce back into government in various capacities include Charity Ngilu, Samson Ongeri, Ali Chirau Mwakwere, Samuel Poghisio , Ekwe Ethuro and Najib Balala all who vied and lost seats through TNA.

It is understood that Marende and Kaparo have started canvassing for the position of the Speaker of National Assembly while Wamalwa is being tipped for that of the Senate. Marende, the immediate former Speaker of the tenth Parliament succeeded Kaparo, the URP chairman who is emerging the front runner due to the Jubilee link. Marende will have to put up a spirited fight, sources said, to win Jubilee MPs hearts.

Ngilu is the minister of Water, Ongeri (Education) and Mwakwere who failed to defend his Matuga seat is in charge of Environment while Balala was formerly in Tourism. Kenya has about 52 foreign missions scattered all over in North America, Latin America, Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia, Oceania and Kenya. Holders of these offices are usually political or diplomatic appointees.

The Senate shall consist of the 47 senators, 16 women members who shall be nominated by political parties according to their proportion of members in the upper house, two members representing women and youth and two members of opposite gender to represent the disabled.

The Senate which represents the 47 counties, shall participate in law-making by considering, debating and approving Bills concerning counties. It shall determine the allocation of national revenue among counties besides exercising oversight over national revenue allocated to the county governments.

Another critical function of the Senate shall be the oversight of State officers by considering and determining any resolution to remove the President or Deputy President from office. According to Article 145, the National Assembly can impeach the President through a third majority. With strength in the Senate, the president and deputy can rest at ease even if such an occurrence surfaces. It will be the first in Kenya’s multi-party democracy that the leader of the losing party will not be a member of parliament since they did not contest for house seats as had been the case previously.