Jubilee rules out talks on IEBC

The Government appeared to shut the door on talks with the Opposition after the ruling coalition flatly rejected any discussions on the reconstitution of the electoral body.

A Jubilee Parliamentary Group meeting chaired by President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House Nairobi yesterday also moved to the rescue of Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru, urging that an impeachment Motion against her be dropped.

It emerged that although majority of the MPs who spoke disapproved of Waiguru’s conduct, she got a reprieve as the lawmakers also had misgivings about other Cabinet secretaries.

President Kenyatta reportedly promised to talk to his Cabinet and ensure that they were available to consult with the MPs who accused the secretaries of aloofness.

But it was the apparent hardline position adopted by Jubilee MPs who are understood to have rejected the national dialogue conference fronted by the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) that threw a spanner in the works.

Reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is a key demand by CORD for the talks it asked the Jubilee administration to convene within 60 days.

Thus it became clear that the rivalry between the coalitions over the contested 2013 presidential elections, which saw CORD’s Raila Odinga move to the Supreme Court that upheld Uhuru’s election, has come back to haunt the national talks.

Yesterday, the ruling Jubilee administration said it would not entertain any talks with the Opposition regarding the proposed removal of IEBC commissioners during a meeting attended by 202 Members of the National Assembly and over 30 senators.

The Jubilee coalition wants the matters addressed in the two Houses of Parliament – National Assembly and the Senate.

Tellingly, in the National Assembly, Majority Leader Adan Duale told his colleagues shortly after leading Jubilee MPs to a meeting with the President and his deputy William Ruto that the removal of the nine commissioners who handled the 2013 General Election would not be part of the agenda of the national dialogue.

Mr Duale spoke just moments after National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi forwarded a CORD-sponsored petition seeking to disband IEBC  to the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee for scrutiny.

“The so-called national dialogue initiative in my opinion is about the President and his deputy having a cup of tea with some people, not about the IEBC. If you want to have the dialogue with Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto, the agenda will not be IEBC,” Duale said in the House.

institutions

A statement released by State House after the meeting quoted Duale saying the coalition had resolved that the national dialogue would be conducted within the institutions created by the Constitution.

“The new Constitution 2010 created independent institutions that have the role of dealing with national issues. So we will expect the national dialogue to be framed within those institutions,” read the statement.

Referring to calls for the disbandment of IEBC by the Opposition, the statement also quoted Duale saying the roadmap for such a disbandment was well documented in the Constitution.

Senate Majority Leader Kindiki Kithure said those calling for national dialogue on devolution should channel their views through the Senate.

In the House, Duale said the President had a constitutional duty to form a tribunal to deal with the issues CORD raises about the electoral commission. 

The simmering rebellion in the Rift Valley also reportedly featured, with MPs blaming the discord on a disconnect between the Executive and local leaders.

“Leaders raised concerns that it was difficult to access the Executive,” said the MP.

Jubilee MPs who spoke to The Standard said the Kuresoi South MP, who has been a vocal critic of Deputy President William Ruto, told the Jubilee coalition leaders that although the meeting was good, it came too late.

Zackayo Cheruiyot, according to the legislator, told the coalition leaders that things on the ground were not good in Rift Valley and that if elections were to be called now, they would not get more than 100,000 votes.

“A toad does not jump around in the day unless something is after its life,” the Kuresoi South MP  reportedly told the Jubilee meeting.

Mandera Senator Billow Kerrow reportedly warned that leadership was not being felt on the ground and Kenyans were wondering if they were conned when the pair campaigned on the platform of digital change.

The senator warned the President and his deputy that they risked going down in history as a one-term coalition and the “worst administration in history”.

“Kerrow did not mince his words but told the President and his deputy to retrace their steps because they were not listening to any leaders nor the people who elected them,” said the source.

Sources explained that the issue of Devolution Secretary Anne Waiguru’s impeachment drew heated debate, with the majority of those who spoke accusing her of arrogance.

Igembe South MP Mithika Linturi explained in detail why Ms Waiguru should be impeached.

A majority of MPs who spoke, sources said, supported Linturi, arguing that the Cabinet Secretary needed to be “tamed” to ensure that the Government “does not become a laughing stock”.

But a  statement by the Presidential Strategic Communication Unit quoted Duale as having said: “The Jubilee coalition, as a family, has urged our colleague Linturi to drop the motion. That is our position in both Houses of Parliament.”

Linturi, however, said he would ignore pleas to withdraw the motion seeking to have Waiguru fired.

“Majority of members were in agreement that she (Waiguru) has, on several occasions, gone overboard. The issue of (Kiplimo) Rugut was one of them,” said an MP who asked not to be named.

The MP told The Standard that although Waiguru was the centre of focus in the debate, MPs had issues with many other Cabinet secretaries.

“At first it was Waiguru but as the debate progressed, members came up with names of other Cabinet secretaries whose actions they claimed were painting the Jubilee government in bad light,” said the MP.

Another MP said: “Cabinet Secretaries want to be recognised as bosses and MPs cannot access them easily whenever they want to raise issues affecting their constituents.”

bad light

Some MPs claimed Cabinet secretaries Michael Kamau, Jacob Kaimenyi, Felix Koskei and Davis Chirchir were overbearing.

“Literally everybody who spoke had an issue with some Cabinet secretaries who have made public pronouncements or decisions that paint the Government in bad light. Some members complained about their accessibility,” said an MP who attended the talks.

He revealed that Linturi was prevailed to drop the motion “upon realisation that the problem was not only Waiguru but also other members of the Cabinet”.

The President, the MP said, promised to talk to his Cabinet on the importance of carrying out their duties in an open and consultative manner.

“Temperatures cooled down after the President promised to talk to his Cabinet about the issues raised by members. But what I can tell you is that the impeachment matter was a side issue,” said the MP.