CABINET

Cabinet meetings will not be held until Parliament has voted on the draft constitution, it emerged on Monday.

Government spokesman Alfred Mutua said the meetings, crucial in giving legality to government decisions and actions, had been put on hold to ensure that ministers focus on the review process.

The decision, he said, had been reached by President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

“Right now, the President and the Prime Minister have made it clear that the priority is the constitution. The President wants all ministers to concentrate on the constitution and that is one of the reasons he suspended all foreign trips by ministers,” he said.

However, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) laid the blame at President Kibaki’s door, claiming that he had failed to call the meetings.

They down played the party’s threat in February to boycott the meetings and said none had been called so far.

Deputy party leader Musalia Mudavadi said they should not be blamed for the failure to hold meetings which had not be convened.

“No notice for Cabinet meetings has been issued yet. If no meeting is called, the issue of a boycott does not arise,” said Mr Mudavadi, who is also the deputy PM.

Party secretary general Anyang’ Nyong’o said ODM reached the decision to boycott the meetings because they were being side-lined by their coalition partners.

However, he said it was the responsibility of the President to call meetings.

The Cabinet has not met for two months in what could be attributed to heightened tensions between the two coalition partners.

Budget policy

Sources said the Orange party would have preferred the meetings to be held so that Cabinet positions on matters such as the draft constitution, budget policy statements, and floods can be taken.

The draft is now before the House and MPs are expected to vote on it this week.

Dr Mutua said the positions of the President and the Prime Minister on the review process were “well known” and that it was now in the hands of Parliament to decide its fate.

“The President and the Prime Minister have already declared that the new constitution was a priority and given ministers time to work on it.

“The draft is now a Parliament affair and not a Cabinet one,” he said.