Now PNU wants consensus on House team

By Beauttah Omanga

A group of PNU ministers now want to prevail on President Kibaki to change his mind on the appointment of Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka as Leader of Government Business.

Instead, the ministers want the President in consultation with Prime Minister Raila Odinga to propose any other minister allied to PNU side as Leader of Government Business to resolve the acrimony.

PNU wants to stop playing hardball despite some still believing that they can get numbers to bulldoze the acceptance of the President’s nominee as chair to the HBC.

"All we want is a situation where the PM will not use his numerical strength in the House to cause stalemate. It is clear that his main problem is the VP holding the office," said a minister on condition of anonymity.

The minister said a number of his colleagues were of the view a neutral minister "not one of those branded hardliners" should be recommended.

But the move is facing resistance from some ministers in PNU. Roads Assistant Minister Wilfred Machage insists President Kibaki should stick to his choice of the VP.

"ODM has the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker. They should stop being greedy. They should accept the President’s choice," said Dr Machage.

However ODM’s Budalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba has welcomed the PNU initiative saying settling on a broadly acceptable minister from either side is an option worth exploring.

"The VP and the PM are now perceived as too divisive for this critical role," said Namwamba who doubles up as ODM’s parliamentary group secretary.

Agriculture Assistant Minister Kareke Mbiuki also welcomes the idea of a neutral minister acceptable to both sides.

"We have made ourselves a laughing stock in the eyes of the public. Instead of leading by example, we keep on wasting time wrangling over leadership positions as we heighten political tensions over our parochial interests as individuals," said the Nithi MP.

Mbiuki regrets that while Kenyans expected smooth debates on matters of concern to them, leaders were busy bickering and scheming on how to undermine any initiative by either side of Government.

He also suggests PNU should nominate a minister as a leader and ODM deputy leader acceptable to both parties. He proposes the two Deputy Prime ministers Uhuru Kenyatta (PNU) and Musalia Mudavadi (ODM), who can alternate.

But those for the change of a nominee on the PNU side said all they wanted was to avoid being seen as the cause of a stalemate once again in the House proceedings after the Speaker’s intervention.

"The public is not comfortable with the way we MPs are wrangling over positions. Even though we are still opposed to the Speaker’s ruling that amounted to him rejecting the executive’s appointee, we are of the view that the President should be let free to nominate any other minister besides the VP," said the source.

The minister said it would be unconstitutional for a Leader of Government Business to be appointed by any other authority apart from the Executive. He said PNU has temporarily accepted to let the Speaker chair the House Business Committee for the sake of peace in the House.

"At some point we are sure a member will seek further constitutional explanations as to the legality of the speaker doubling up as a Speaker of the House and at the same time chair a committee in the same House," he said.

He argued that there were clear boundaries on which committees the speaker can chair or cannot. Those opposed to Marende’s ruling insist that as a Speaker, his position automatically made him non-partisan but by offering to chair a committee chances were high he may use his influence to determine Bills to be debated.