Aden Duale triggered polls law fiasco, says Speaker Muturi

 

“Duale came to my office after we adjourned and we tried to reason together. I remember well because I told him that he was to blame for the whole fiasco because when he rose on the floor, he veered off to discuss CORD leader Raila Odinga to the chagrin of his loyalists in the house.” PHOTO: COURTESY

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi yesterday remained indefatigable amid the storm raised by the unilateral passage of changes to electoral laws by Jubilee MPs.

He dismissed as “utter nonsense” claims that he was bulldozed into rushing through the amendments in favour of the ruling coalition. He also said he had forwarded the Bill to the Senate for debate and effectively created window for more dialogue.

He said the decision to move the special sitting of Parliament that ratified the laws from January 24 to Thursday was result of “plain and simple reasoning” between himself and House Leader of Majority Aden Duale.

“Duale came to my office after we adjourned and we tried to reason together. I remember well because I told him that he was to blame for the whole fiasco because when he rose on the floor, he veered off to discuss CORD leader Raila Odinga to the chagrin of his loyalists in the house.”

“He apologised and requested that we convene a special sitting next week. Under the law, House leaders can request for special sittings and as a Speaker I cannot object. I was however not for the idea of convening the House next week in the middle of the festivities and with MPs having dispersed to their constituencies,” Muturi explained.

He said he is the one who suggested that the House convenes in the course of the week “for convenience sake.” The adjournment to Thursday would also have allowed MPs from both sides to consult and understand the issues, he said.

“Those saying I was pressured do not appear to know me well. In fact, they will be surprised to know I am the one who insisted, against a popular view among some groups, that this is a Bill concerning the counties and that it has to go to the Senate for consideration, and I just did that today,” Muturi said.

 He said those rooting for street protests, especially Senators, will be confronted with the reality when the Speaker of the Senate recalls them for special sitting to discuss the same issues they claim they will resolve in the streets.

MEDIATION COMMITTEE

“The Senate can decide to agree with us or to disagree. In the case they disagree, we will have to form a mediation committee and in which case I would suggest that the same members of the committee that negotiated the laws led by Senators Orengo and Murungi sit in that committee,” he said.

Muturi claimed the debate on what happened in Parliament has been soiled by ignorant observations from church leaders, senior counsels and opposition MPs: “They are either senile or they are simply ignorant.”

He said claims that Parliament cannot amend laws crafted by the committee were misplaced: “Its nonsense to claim that Parliament cannot amend a report created by some villagers. The committee died long time ago.

Even in grand coalition days and despite the incestuous nature of the relationship between the Executive and Parliament at the time, they still amended mutually agreed documents.”

Muturi said he was away in London when plans for the special sitting were mooted. He said the provision for alternative identification of voters in case of technology failure was a prudent move “because these things fail.”

“Even here in Parliament, the same members yapping out there have accepted to go manual whenever the fingerprint technology we have put in place refuse to read their fingers. Some of their fingers cannot be recognised, I don’t know why.

Do you want to tell me we should chase them away from the House on that account?” Asked for his advice on the two rival coalitions in the face of the divisiveness they have exposed Kenyans to in a festive season, Muturi said he was the wrong man to advise them:

“To be fair, I am not the one to advise them because we are in the middle of a legislative process. It’s up to them whether they want to continue in sheer ignorance of the legislative process or not.”