On Thursday the House extended its sitting hours up to 11pm to dispense with three other Bills related to devolution of the county governments, which were moved by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government Musalia Mudavadi.
The Bills on devolution together with those pertaining to land were all supposed to be passed by Sunday.
The amendment that relates to the Bills on land let the Government off the hook as it came under fire from a cross section of MPs who blamed it for the crisis that forced the extension.
Furious backbenchers hit out at the Government during the morning sitting, accusing Cabinet ministers and their assistants, a majority of whom were not present, of taking the House for granted.
A lack of quorum prompted the House to adjourn its morning sitting one and a half hours early. Committee on Implementation of the Constitution (CIOC) Chairman Abdikadir Mohamed, upon realising that attendance could hardly reach the required number of 148 MPs, prevailed upon Deputy Speaker Farah Maalim to defer the Motion to the afternoon sitting.
Farah was hesitant to grant deferment because Mudavadi and his Assistant Lewis Nguyai were not in the House to initiate the next business on consideration of amendments to the Bills on devolution.
This irritated MPs Boni Khalwale, (Ikolomani), Charles Kilonzo (Yatta), Abdi Nuh (Bura) and Chepalungu MP, Isaac Ruto who accused the Government of laziness and lack of commitment on the implementation of the Constitution.
"The Government is against this Motion. They are not even interested in contributing to it and they have been de-whipping the Executive to stay away from the House," complained Yatta MP, Charles Kilonzo.
Deployed machinery
But Deputy Leader of Government Business Amos Kimunya defended the Government saying it had deployed all its machinery to marshal the numbers.
"The Whips have been adept and have been communicating to every MP to be here. The whips have whipped every member and members of the Executive have been sent messages to be here," Kimunya told the House, as Orengo added that the Acting Head of Public Service, Francis Kimemia had been sending messages to Cabinet ministers to come to the House.
"We are in this crisis because the government was hesitant to act. This is the time to bring everybody on board. Is it by coincidence that any matter touching on the Constitution has been dodged by the Government?" posed Khalwale.
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