PNU plot against Namwamba
Seven members of the parliamentary Justice and Legal Affairs Committee are plotting a coup against their chairman, Mr Ababu Namwamba.
The MPs have written to Mr Namwamba telling him that they were “dissatisfied” with his leadership, and want him to convene a meeting as soon as possible to have him replaced. They copied the two-page letter to the Clerk of the National Assembly.
The letter, dated February 22, 2011, was received in the Clerk’s office the same day.
The move comes just a week after Mr Namwamba and two of his colleagues in Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party – Olago Aluoch (Kisumu Town West) and Millie Odhiambo (nominated) — joined hands and wrote a minority report terming the erstwhile controversial nominations of four constitutional office holders, illegal.
The rest of the committee, who are the majority, had termed the process as constitutional and backed the President.
Haphazard
A committee member who spoke to Nation.co.ke said the disgruntled MPs were angry at what he described as Mr Namwamba’s “haphazard running of committee meetings”.
The decision, the Nation learnt, was reached at Tuesday's meeting of Party of National Unity (PNU) MPs at Palacina Hotel in Nairobi, just moments before President Kibaki withdrew the list of controversial nominees.
Those who’ve signed the letter are led by the vice chairman Njoroge Baiya (Githunguri, PNU), George Omari Nyamweya (nominated, PNU), Amina Abdallah (nominated, Kanu), Abdikadir Mohammed (Mandera Central, Safina), Isaac Ruto (Chepalungu, ODM) and Mutava Musyimi (Gachoka, PNU).
They claimed that Ms Sofia Abdi Noor (nominated, ODM) was also in their camp, but she had not signed the letter. The committee has 11 MPs.
Some of those who have signed the letter, and who spoke to the Nation on condition of anonymity said there has been bad blood between Mr Namwamba and the other committee members since their trip in January to the USA to study the congress.
Election
The House rule (Standing Order 175) being used by the MPs to oust their chair reads: “By a resolution supported by a majority of its members, a committee may resolve that it has no confidence in the chairperson and vice chairperson and such resolution shall be reported to the Liaison Committee, which shall, as soon as is practicable, arrange for the election of a new chairperson or vice chairperson as the case may be.”
Mr Namwamba took over the committee late last year after a stand-off between ODM and PNU over the leadership of the Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee. Mr Mohammed was the chairman of both committees and he had to relinquish his post at the Justice and Legal Affairs to Mr Namwamba.
But as MPs plot to oust their chairman, there are reports that ODM is planning to reconstitute the committees afresh and kick out all those who do not tow the party line.
MPs are likely to go on recess on Tuesday.
ODM has lost support from many of its MPs from the North Rift region, who have threatened to ditch the party in favour of United Democratic Movement (UDM). This group is led by suspended Agriculture Minister William Ruto (ODM’s deputy party leader).
