CORD drops Mung'aro as Minority Whip

NAIROBI, KENYA: The fate of National Assembly Minority Whip and Kilifi North MP Gideon Mung’aro has been sealed. Highly impeccable sources say that the opposition Cord joint PG meeting held on Tuesday resolved to sack him.

Consequently, Coast Parliamentary Group (CPG) MPs allied to Cord are meeting at lunch hour to make a decision on Mung’aro’s replacement, with Wundanyi MP Thomas Mwadeghu likely to be named the new Whip. The MPs will meet at parliament buildings.

Multiple sources say that the position of Mung’aro was on the agenda list at the PG with several MPs especially those from the Coast pushing for his ouster for openly defying the party.

The Kilifi North MP was described as the leader of the Cord rebels who have openly opposed the coalition’s activities and mainly the intended referendum.

"We unanimously resolved to replace him but intentionally avoided including that subject in our communique,” one of the MPs said adding that they -Cord -feared media may ignore their unveiling of the referendum team structures and instead concentrate on Mung’aro’s ouster.

Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar said he could not comment on the ouster but confirmed that MPs who were not loyal to the party had been put on notice.

"We told them that the referendum push is not optional for party members and those who defied it will be caught even by the political parties act," he said.

A section of Coast MPs fighting the push for a referendum and who have previously declared they would work closely with the Jubilee government, were put to task during the PG held at the Boma hotel in Nairobi.

Their fellow legislators who have remained loyal to the Opposition bitterly attacked their colleagues who have been attending functions of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto where they declared their support for the Jubilee.

Some ODM MPs from the region last week skipped the Iftar (dinner to break the Muslim fast during Ramadhan) organised by Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho, and attended by Raila as well as Wetang’ula, Senator Hassan Omar, Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi and his Nyali counterpart Hezron Awiti. It was reported that Raila was angered by the snub.

Joho asked local politicians, he said have a foot in the Government and another in CORD, to quit and seek a fresh mandate “if they think they are strong on the ground.”

The fallout in CORD started last month when Ruto visited Kwale and Kilifi counties to preside over high-profile meetings before President Kenyatta visited Taita Taveta last week.

ODM, Ford Kenya and Wiper held separate parliamentary group meetings last week. Yesterday’s meeting was meant to establish a common resolution binding CORD members to pave way for disciplinary action against the rebels.

According the Political Parties Act, parties may discipline members for violating both the Act and their respective party constitutions through suspension or even expulsion.

At yesterday’s meeting, MPs from Coast, Kisii and parts of Ukambani region were named and accused of dismissing the coalition’s call for a referendum.