Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero tells Jubilee to stop threatening pro-referendum governors

Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero has told the Jubilee administration to stop threatening its governors who are agitating for the Pesa Mashinani referendum.

The governor said instead, the national government should hold dialogue with the county bosses and address their grievances to avoid the impending referendum.

Kidero came to the defence of his colleagues even as the Jubilee Coalition dismissed the pro-referendum leaders, terming them ‘noise makers’ who will not derail the Government’s agenda.

TNA Chairman Johnson Sakaja, who shared a podium with Governor Kidero hinted that Jubilee had a strategy to counter Cord’s OKoa Kenya and Pesa Mashinani.

The leaders were speaking at the ACK Immanuel Church in Kawangware in Nairobi during a Sunday service and fundraiser.

“The Constitution provides in article 256 and 257 for issues of a referendum but our MPs are not telling us the truth. For devolution to succeed, it needs more resources and even our MPs agree to that,” Kidero said.

Jubilee governors led by Council of Governors Chair Isaac Ruto have been under pressure to abandon their quest or resign for defying the ruling coalition.

Last month, majority leaders Aden Duale (National Assembly) and Kindiki Kithure (Senate) with his counterpart Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen were the first to fire the first salvo they asked their governors to quit.

 UHURU’S WARNING

And last week, President Uhuru Kenyatta joined the chorus by directly asking the county chiefs to resign and seek fresh mandate from the people for defying the ruling coalition.

However, the Nairobi governor feels the calls and threats are unnecessary and cannot resolve the issues being raised by the county bosses.

“We are Christians and even God tells us to come and reason together. Why can’t Jubilee governors  be called and talked to instead of issuing threats to them?” Kidero retorted.

Last week, Cord leaders led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga told off the President for asking his governors to quit while Governor Ruto scoffed at the President’s remark as ‘probably a slip of the tongue’.

 

Yesterday, Sakaja told the congregation that after the meeting of their TNA party held last month, it was agreed that the campaigns for the referendum be shelved, an agreement which binds all TNA governors.

Consequently, Sakaja said TNA and Jubilee have appointed a technical team that is reviewing issues being raised by the governors with a view of proposing a parliamentary initiative to amend the Constitution.

“This is in line with the Jubilee manifesto that provides for at least 40 per cent to the counties and we will soon introduce a Bill in Parliament to address all these issues and I can assure you that there will be no referendum,” the nominated MP said.

He however did not give time lines for the Bill to be introduced.

Pesa Mashinani and Okoa Kenya are seeking for the amendment of the Constitution to peg allocations to county governments at 45 per cent of the total revenue up from the current 15 per cent, which is based on the last audited and approved financial report.

Last week, a meeting convened by President Kenyatta with some of the governors failed to strike a deal after they stuck to their guns. Already, a Jubilee MP and 3 other voters have separately filed a case in court seeking to bar CORD from collecting signatures for the referendum.