President Uhuru Kenyatta wades into fight between MPs from both houses

“We are the wearer of the shoes, we now know where it pinches most. What we do not want is to lose in the Senate the solidarity of members and we want to carry all members on board-Kipchumba Murkomen.

NAIROBI: President Uhuru Kenyatta is reportedly expected to meet Jubilee MPs next week on the back of a growing opposition within the ruling coalition.

The rejection by the National Assembly of the President’s nominee for the post of Secretary to the Cabinet, Monica Juma, and a bi-partisan push by senators for a change-the-constitution campaign, which adds to twin referendum quests by governors and the Opposition, pile pressure on his government.

Although the Government side has a majority in the National Assembly, an opposition wave headed mainly by Jubilee MPs scuttled Juma's nomination. 15 Central Kenya lawmakers have since dared the President to resubmit her name, vowing she will face similar fate.

But a Senate resolution for a change-the-Constitution campaign fronted by senior Jubilee senators is a distraction the Government cannot afford at a time President Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto are battling twin referendum bids by the Opposition and governors.

The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) has published its draft constitutional amendment Bill, which Opposition leaders Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetangula have been popularising in public rallies under the Okoa Kenya crusade.

Governors, too, have set off their Pesa Mashinani campaign to press for increased allocation to counties.

Jubilee MPs have in the past portrayed the referendum bids as Raila's ploy to set up a political contest with the President.

But the supremacy fight between the National Assembly and the Senate has finally pushed vocal critics of the plebiscites like Elgeyo/Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen to join the referendum bandwagon.

"This time round, we have told everybody to shelve their political positions so that we carry the Senate as a united House. Once we have a comprehensive audit of the sections (to amend), then we will proceed," said Murkomen.

It is against this backdrop that sources close to State House told The Standard a Jubilee Parliamentary Group (PG) chaired by President Kenyatta was on the cards next week.

"It might take place anytime next week. The standoff by the two Houses of Parliament is a serious concern to the President," said a top Jubilee official. During a recent visit to Kericho, the President and his deputy warned that the fights between senators and MPs were not helpful.

But State House spokesman Manoah Esipisu told The Standard Thursday: "There is no such meeting in his diary."

Senators Murkomen, Mutula Kilonzo Junior (Makueni), Abdi Bule (Tana River) and Hassan Omar (Mombasa) admitted that the relationship between the two Houses is sour and only solution is an amendment to the constitution to ensure clarity of their roles.

Kalonzo said parallel referendum initiatives should explore a merger.

"We have the Okoa Kenya, Pesa Mashinani and the senators and any other is a welcome move. We shall accept to merge them at the right time. The good thing is that the senators have seen the sense of strengthening its role in the Constitution," said Kalonzo.

STRENGTHEN SENATE

Murkomen, a close ally of the President and Ruto added: "The other referendum bids are parallel initiatives. We are the wearer of the shoes, we now know where it pinches most. What we do not want is to lose in the Senate the solidarity of members and we want to carry all members on board."

He said they will begin with the constitution of a nine-member select committee, which will advise the House on the sections to amend to strengthen the Senate.

Governors welcomed the referendum bid by the Senate, saying it will strengthen devolution.

However, governors are categorical that they can only merge their Constitution of Kenya, Amendment Bill, 2010 with that of the Senate and not the Okoa Kenya Bill, fronted by the Opposition.

"The Council of Governors is opposed to any moves to merge our referendum push with the Opposition. The Senate is a major stakeholder in devolution and we will engage each other in a bid to address our challenges," said council chair Peter Munya (Meru). He announced that the county chiefs will meet next Tuesday in Nairobi to discuss and adopt the proposals in their bill.

"On June 23, the council will be meeting and the main agenda is conclusively deliberate on the relevance sections of concern in law. The governors are also expected to mandate me with the task of engaging with the Senate on the matter," added Munya.

"The Council committee on legal affairs chaired by Governor Kivutha Kibwana (Makueni) is fine tuning the bill and we will also share the same with the Senate," Munya explained.

Governors said it is an anomaly to have a weak senate.

"Senators have a bigger electoral mandate. It is absurd that they have less powers. This is why counties have been facing numerous challenges resulting from bad laws," said Munya.

"A powerful Senate will guarantee counties' interests and end these parochial tendency of supremacy fights with the National Assembly. With the referendum, Senate will reclaim its rightful space," he added.

Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale urged the President to take note of the increasing forces agitating for constitutional change.

"The President should now save Kenyans the hatred of having to go through the referendum by prevailing upon the Senate and National Assembly to effect the changes," Khalwale added.

BALANCE TYRANNY

"The referendum is the only way to protect our core mandate and also put the Jubilee government in its place. With a strong Senate, we will address this government's shortcomings," said Senator Bule.

Omar said CORD had already spelt out the need to strengthen the Senate through the Okoa Kenya initiative. "The purpose of the push for a referendum is to ensure we balance the tyranny of the National Assembly and protect the independent institutions as contemplated in the constitution," said Kilonzo Jnr.

"There is not time, we can mix the shades of CORD and Jubilee to find solutions to our problems. The reality is that the process is impossible to attain by 2017," said Kiambu Senator Kimani Wamatangi .

Mwea MP Peter Gitau said MPs had no regrets for withholding the 'monitoring' fund for the Senate, saying Sh1.6million monthly allocation to each senator was illogical.

Kubai Iringo (Igembe Central) said senators had demonstrated they were in a very idle House.

Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria lashed out at the Jubilee senators, saying they lacked focus of promoting government agenda and appeared overwhelmed by the minority CORD in the House. "This is a very good thing they are doing. It is very good to make senators senior and uplift their egos. But it would have been even better to push for things that will promote the welfare of Wanjiku. I love governors and senators, but love Kenyans more," said Kuria.

Nyeri MP Priscillah Nyokabi said there was no need to amend the Constitution on the matter of the seniority of the two Houses.