Greed or right? Case of renegade Jubilee MPs eating Azimio lunch

Kanini Kega's Jubilee faction during a press conference. [Denis Kibuchi, Standard] As one faction of the Jubilee Party fights to stay in Raila Odinga's Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya, another wing struggles to pull out officially. Last week, East Africa Legislative Assembly lawmaker Kanini Kega initiated the process of withdrawing his faction from Azimio, months after doing so informally. MPs from Kega's wing have sided with President William Ruto's Kenya Kwanza Alliance, attending their Parliamentary Group (PG) meetings and endorsing their position in critical votes. Such was the case on Wednesday when a number voted in favour of the Finance Bill, 2023, in its second reading in Parliament, suppressing whatever resistance Azimio would have mounted. A formal withdrawal from Azimio would help resolve the political identity crisis the rebel Jubilee MPs have suffered since their defection in February. But that depends on how the wrangles rocking former President Uhuru Kenyatta's fractured party pan out. A fierce battle at the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal, featuring Kega and embattled Secretary-General Jeremiah Kioni, could free Kega and his team or lock them within Jubilee, forcing them to officially dump the party, which would result in them losing their seats. But as they await their official divorce from Azimio, members of the splinter faction are still clinging on to perks guaranteed to them through the minority coalition. Nominated MP Sabina Chege is in court seeking to hold onto the National Assembly deputy minority whip position after she was de-whipped in a PG meeting. Azimio picked Embakasi West MP Mark Mwenje, a Uhuru loyalist, as her replacement. National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula's decision to retain her as deputy minority whip, citing court orders barring Sabina's removal, caused a commotion in Parliament last week but one that led to her suspension alongside six other MPs. Sabina finds herself in a situation similar to Isiolo Senator Fatuma Dullo's, who months ago unsuccessfully tried to retain her former Senate minority whip job after openly associating with Ruto. She, too, moved to court seeking to block her ouster, but her case was dismissed. Dullo has since been replaced with Narok Senator Ledama ole Kina. The whip role is sensitive in each coalition, with its holder traditionally charged with ensuring that members toe the party line. Azimio's argument in seeking Sabina's removal is that she cannot whip their members into supporting the coalition's position since she already defected, which was evident during Wednesday's voting when she endorsed the controversial Finance Bill. "It is not logical and it is not moral for anyone to purport to want to sit in an office where she cannot work. That is the most immoral thing anyone can do," National Assembly Deputy Minority Leader and Kathiani MP Robert Mbui said of Sabina's actions. But the nominated MP yesterday defended her fight for the position, dismissing talk of selfishness on her part. "I am being unfairly removed from a position which was not given to me on a silver platter. Those removing me are not entitled to do so since the party (Jubilee) has new officials," Sabina stated, defending her association with Kenya Kwanza. "In regard to my association with Kenya Kwanza, my party has made a resolution to pull out of Azimio and the process is on and that is a constitutional right," she added. In the Senate, Azimio has written to Speaker Amason Kingi seeking to remove rebel Jubilee senators from committees, a move that has attracted opposition from the Jubilee lawmakers. Fierce debate The matter sparked a fierce debate during Thursday's afternoon sitting when Dullo lamented their exclusion from an 11-member committee formed to investigate the impeachment of Siaya Deputy Governor William Oduol. "For the last three months in a row, Jubilee members are being mistreated, and you are just allowing it to happen," Dullo rose to contest a motion fronted by Majority Whip Aaron Cheruiyot on setting up the committee. "Azimio, which is the minority side, has written to you, de-whipping all of us from committees. We have written to you complaining of the same. We represent our people through those committees. When we are de-whipped and left out of the committees, that is equal to telling Jubilee members to walk out of this House and that we are irrelevant," she argued, lamenting that they were slighted at the expense of other parties. But Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna dismissed the argument, saying the rebels had brought the situation upon themselves by dissociating with Azimio. "I am unable to whip you and you are being whipped from other places. We call a PG as the minority coalition and you don't show up, showing up at the majority PG at State House. How then do you come and claim rights in this House that you have decided you don't belong?" posed the Senate deputy minority whip. The Orange Democratic Movement secretary-general argued that lawmakers seconded to committees should advance their party's ideals. Garissa Senator Abdulkadir Haji said Azimio had pushed them out of the coalition by removing them from social media forums and did not engage them. "You have heard from Senator Sifuna that Jubilee is still in Azimio, but the members are not. It doesn't add up. A party is made up of members. Jubilee is still in Azimio, and we have reached out to the members of Azimio that we have a dispute and that we can resolve it. Let us talk. They don't want to talk," Haji said. Indeed, lawmakers from the runaway Jubilee faction have been excluded in some areas, such as the flopped bi-partisan talks. Azimio rejected an attempt by Kenya Kwanza to include Eldas MP Adan Keynan among its negotiators, stating it was an attack to party democracy. Kega has opposed their exclusion from the talks, which resulted from their confusing situation. They are neither in Azimio (unofficially) nor in Kenya Kwanza (officially). Deputy Minority Leader Enoch Wambua said that the Jubilee senators were suffering the consequences of their choices. Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale argued that by excluding Jubilee MPs, Azimio was "disqualifying the senators", a role reserved for the courts. Kingi is expected to rule on the position of the Jubilee senators if Azimio does not resolve it internally.

Greed or right? Case of renegade Jubilee MPs eating Azimio lunch

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