President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga were saved from embarrassment on Tuesday night from the unlikely source – nationwide curfew and Nandi Senator Samsom Cherargei.
After the Senate had voted to reject the first motion by Senator Orengo to adjourn the sitting of the House and the second amendment by Majority Whip Irungu Kang’ata to the Count Revenue Allocation Formula, signs showed that the President Uhuru and Raila Odinga were facing a Waterloo moment.
And like a godsent Nandi Senator reminded his colleagues that the nationwide curfew hours had reached and the debate could not continue. Deputy Speaker Prof Kamar who was chairing the proceeding concerned with the senator and adjourned the sitting to next week Tuesday.
Either way, the move would just be calm before the storm as the Senators prepare for another fierce debate on the proposed revenue sharing formula to the county governments.
Majority Whip was furious and has not hidden his disappointment of having to push the debate to the following week. Kang’ata even threatened to punish the Senators who voted against the government.
The opinion is still divided into whether the former political nemesis-turned allies should come in between and help unlock the stalemate that saw the House adjourned for the sixth time after failing to reach an equilibrium.
Some Senators believe that the President and his handshake partner Raila Odinga should intervene while others oppose the idea claiming that matter is pure a senatorial and parliamentary issue.
This is even as the Siaya Senator apportioned the blame on the President’s inaccessibility on the third basis of revenue sharing among counties.
While contributing to Kang’ata’s amendment the Senate Minority Leader lamented that unlike retired President Kibaki, President Uhuru Kenyatta was inaccessible to the leaders.
“The thing that President Kibaki did properly, no other President will be able to do it and I am not ashamed of saying that. I am advising the current President to be more accessible to enable us to solve these problems,” Orengo said.
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But is what was viewed as a formal rejoinder, Senator Kang’ata discounted Orengo’s claims of the President being inaccessible saying President Uhuru is reachable to all elected leaders including those holding positions in the government.
“In Parliamentary practice, you cannot see a chief whip moving a motion because they have no opinions. They only bring in government business.
“So, anytime you see a chief whip doing anything, he is doing it on behalf of the government,” he said.
Kang’ata added that he was waiting for further instructions on how to navigate to ensure the formula is passed in the meetings.
