CORD leadership at odds over parliamentary committees

By Geoffrey Mosoku

A battle over CORD’s leadership in Parliament could put the coalition’s plan to have a strong Opposition in jeopardy.

Signs of trouble emerged this week as a leadership contest raged between its most senior leaders in Parliament.

Sources told The Standard On Saturday that Leader of the Minority Francis Nyenze (Wiper) and his deputy Jakoyo Midiwo (ODM) were pulling in different directions on the naming of members to the House departmental committees. The matter threatened to derail the naming of the teams and was the cause of the climb-down from a battle over two watchdog committees.

The tabling of the committee lists was delayed for a week as Midiwo pushed to have CORD chair the Public Accounts and Public Investments committees as well as have a majority of members. Midiwo is said to have stretched his luck to other standing committees, alarming other members in CORD. This prompted Nyenze and others in Wiper, as well as those from Ford Kenya, another CORD affiliate, to distance themselves from the move.

Take charge

The sources add former VP Kalonzo Musyoka, who Nyenze was supposed to hold brief for, instructed the Kitui West MP to “take charge of events in the House” and not let Midiwo drag out his battle. CORD leader Raila Odinga (ODM) also intervened and directed his party’s MPs to stop squabbling and let the formation of the committees go ahead. Midiwo was forced to back off and agree to the formation of the committees, whose details were tabled by the Leader of Majority Aden Duale on Thursday.

The move now sets in motion Nyenze’s confirmation as Leader of Minority, a position he was to hold in an interim capacity. During a CORD retreat in Naivasha last month, the coalition announced his appointment in an acting capacity until Kalonzo finds himself in the House to head the Opposition. Talks to have the former VP in the House, however, came to an end last week, when he said he had no plans of rejoining Parliament. His word triggered schemes in the coalition to either have Nyenze confirmed or replaced.

This week, sources in the coalition intimate that some ODM MPs wanted Nyenze replaced by Midiwo, while those in Ford Kenya and Wiper insisted on retaining the Kitui West MP. Those pushing for Nyenze’s replacement accused him of reneging on a coalition PG resolution to paralyse Parliament operations over the PIC and PAC issue. Anti-Nyenze MPs feel he may not be assertive enough to push Cord agenda in the house.

Crucial meeting

CORD leader Raila Odinga on Friday hosted about 12 MPs from the ODM faction for breakfast in his Karen home where the position of Nyenze prominently featured. The meeting followed another one by Wiper and Ford Kenya MPs one day earlier to discuss the same topic.

Tigania East MP Mpuru Aburi confirmed that some of his colleagues were unhappy with Nyenze’s performance.

Contacted, Nyenze denied interfering with the names saying that was tabled in the House on Thursday emanated from the last coalition Parliamentary Group meeting.