Azimio split over House teams slots

A falling out is looming in the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition over who should occupy its three slots in the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC).

The coalition also faces a test over the sharing of eight parliamentary committee leadership slots.

At the centre of the fight are letters from the coalition members to National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula purportedly communicating the coalition’s position.

Azimio has Mr Raila Odinga’s ODM party, immediate former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party, Wiper party of Kalonzo Musyoka and a host of other parties. 

Yesterday, Leader of Minority Opiyo Wandayi (Ugunja) wrote to the Speaker, who chairs the PSC, notifying him of the coalition’s nominees to the commission.

Read: Major clash in House on majority leader position

“I am pleased to confirm that the minority party nominees from the National Assembly to the PSC are Mishi Mboko and Patrick Makau,” Mr Wandayi wrote in the letter dated November 2.

Mr Wandayi’s letter was in response to the Speaker’s letter of October 13, 2022.

Ms Mboko belongs to ODM while Mr Makau was elected on a Wiper ticket. Nyamira Senator Okong’o Omogeni is expected to be the ODM’s representative from the Senate.

But within hours of Mr Wandayi’s letter, Jubilee Secretary-General Jeremiah Kioni wrote another letter to the Speaker, indicating Sirisia MP John Waluke as Jubilee’s nominee to the PSC.

Mr Kioni later took a copy of the letter to Mr Waluke at the Industrial Area prison, where the lawmaker is currently held after being convicted of corruption.

He has appealed the sentence and Jubilee hopes he will be granted bail to resume his parliamentary duties.

The PSC has 10 members, with the Speaker of the National Assembly as chairperson and the Clerk of the Senate as Secretary.

Kenya Kwanza’s nominees to the PSC are all UDA MPs – Faith Gitau (Nyandarua) and Mohamed Ali (Nyali) from the National Assembly and Senators Joyce Korir (nominated) and John Kinyua (Laikipia).

Mr Odinga’s coalition is also sharply divided over which coalition party should produce members to chair the House watchdog committees.

Read: Opiyo Wandayi, Junet Mohamed unveiled for top Azimio House leadership slots

The committees include Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Public Investments Committee (PIC), PIC-Governance and Education, PIC-Commercial Affairs and Energy, PIC-Social Services, Administration and Agriculture, Public Debt and Privatisation Committee, Committee on Implementation and Decentralised Fund Accounts Committee.

On October 31, minority whip Junet Mohamed (Suna East) notified the coalition members in the National Assembly of the individuals selected to chair and deputise the leaders of the committees.

Mr Junet indicated the coalition had settled on ODM’s John Mbadi as chairperson of PAC and Butere MP Tindi Mwale (ODM) as his deputy.

Jack Wamboka (Bumula, DAP- Kenya) and Naisula Lesuuda (Samburu West, Jubilee) for chairperson and vice-chairperson, respectively, of PIC-Governance and Education, Pokot South MP David Pkosing (Kenya Union Party) and his Rangwe counterpart Dr Lilian Gogo (ODM) as chairperson and vice chairperson of PIC-Commercial Affairs and Energy committee.

Elections for the leadership of the watchdog committees were to be held yesterday and today.

However, as the committees readied for the elections, Mr Wandayi requested the Speaker to move the elections for PIC-Commercial to November 10.

The Nation has established that Azimio wants Eldas MP Adan Keynan (Jubilee) to chair the committee, a decision that has not gone down well with Mr Pkosing.

Some in the coalition argue that Mr Pkosing’s party should not be given the slot as it has only two MPs in the House. 

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