By Geoffrey Mosoku

Nairobi, Kenya: CORD leader Raila Odinga has marshalled his allies in Parliament to boycott parliamentary business, it emerged.

Raila and former Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka met CORD MPs for four hours and resolved the coalition withdraws from all parliamentary committees until their demands are met. CORD Senators led by Minority Senate Leader Moses Wetangula also attended the meeting.

CORD has demanded majority and chairmanship of the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) and Parliamentary Investment Committee (PIC).

CORD’s threat may paralyse not only the business of Parliament, but also Government operations, key being the approval of the new Cabinet expected to begin tomorrow. CORD announced recalling of their members in already constituted committees.

Under threat

The Committee on Appointments, which is tasked to vet Cabinet nominees, cannot proceed with business since Jubilee MPs do not raise the minimum required number of 19, of 29 MPs to form a committee.

Three other committees approved by the House that CORD is also targeting in recalling their members are House Business Committee, Selection Committee and Procedure and House Rules Committee.

“CORD wishes to inform the public that democracy they have for years fought for is under threat and that it will not be business as usual in Parliament until that time that Jubilee coalition leadership will have realised that democracy applies to both the majority and the minority,” Minority Chief Whip Gideon Mung’aro told journalists soon after the lunch time meeting.

The opposition troops accused their Jubilee counterparts of using unorthodox means to frustrate the legislative agenda of the House by flexing their numerical muscles to suppress minority, especially on the composition of Parliament’s departmental and select committees.

Mung’aro said CORD would not cede ground on membership and chairmanship of the public watchdog committees PAC and PIC.

“CORD has recalled its members from all the committees with immediate effect until the stalemate on the membership of PAC and PIC is resolved,” he said.

On Tuesday, Jubilee accused CORD of engineering amendments in the Standing Orders that sought to give the majority control of House committees on the belief they were headed for victory in the last General Election.

Same remarks

However, CORD came out fighting saying contrary to claims by Jubilee coalition leaders on amendment of Standing Orders, it is the Speaker of the Senate Ekwee Ethuro who moved the Motion on January 9, just in the sunset of the life of the Tenth Parliament.

“He must, therefore, explain what and who prompted him to move that amendment,” Mung’aro added.

Minority Deputy Leader Jakoyo Midiwo repeated the same remarks on the floor of the House during the afternoon session.

In Parliament, the plan played itself as the coalition MPs walked out of the Chamber in protest after House Speaker Justin Muturi ruled that the committees that meet the minimum threshold be tabled, in a session that also saw MP Fred Outa thrown out of the Chamber for disorderly conduct.

“We will not accept the Speaker’s decision. He has not shown neutrality in making the ruling,” Tongaren MP Eseli Simiyu said.

The MPs led by Minority Leader Francis Nyenze and Mung’aro were leading MPs from their side to announce that they will boycott parliamentary business.

Crucial committees

A CORD press conference called to address the matter was cancelled after Jubilee counterparts invited them to an informal meeting to seek a solution. Minority and Majority leaders held meetings late into the night as they tried to unlock the stalemate.

CORD is demanding control of PAC and PIC. However, Jubilee argues that it has majority MPs in House hence it must have more members in the crucial committees.

The stalemate between Jubilee and CORD may cripple House business. Initially, Jubilee agreed to reduce its numbers in the oversight committees from 17 to 14 and raise CORD numbers to 13.

CORD argues that it must have control of the two committees if is to play its watchdog role as opposition and provide requisite checks and balances to the Jubilee coalition.