The closing of ranks by MPs to raise the debt ceiling to Sh9 trillion is the latest pointer to how the political truce between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga has turned politics on its head, both in parliament and outside the House.

Yesterdays’ critics have become today’s cheerleaders as the March 9, 2018 handshake blurs political lines – almost turning the House into a one-party chamber where government business is railroaded without opposition.

MPs who spoke to The Standard on condition of anonymity for fear of flouting party protocol, said most lawmakers had been cowed by the camaraderie between the President and ODM leader. The two leaders control huge blocs in and outside Parliament, and it would be politically suicidal for most MPs to go against their wishes.

Former critics of Jubilee’s borrowing spree like Junet Mohamed, John Mbandi and Gladys Wanga, last week rallied led the National Assembly to raise the debt ceiling. This was the second time in under a year opposition MPs defied public pressure to push through government motion.