MPs’ fury over Kimunya return

The government is headed for a showdown with MPs who disavowed former Finance minister Amos Kimunya who has been reinstated to the Cabinet as Trade minister.

MPs are digging in for a fight in Parliament as it has emerged that Mr Kimunya came under serious criticism by the Cockar Commission over the sale of the Grand Regency (now Laico Regency) hotel.

The Sunday Nation has seen the report, yet to be made public, in which the commissioners recommend that Mr Kimunya take responsibility for the controversial sale of the hotel.

All indications are that MPs are not willing to let their no confidence vote last year go to waste following Mr Kimunya’s return to the Cabinet last Friday.

A no-confidence vote against an MP or a negative report from a commission of inquiry are not binding on the President when making Cabinet appointments.

A number of MPs interviewed by the Sunday Nation indicated that they would ask House Speaker Kenneth Marende to block the minister from accessing the floor of the House in his new capacity. Mr Kimunya left the Treasury in acrimonious circumstances last year following the no-confidence vote.

On Saturday the MPs said they lost confidence in Mr Kimunya’s conduct of affairs at the Treasury and would not allow him to take up the new post. Lawyers also shared these sentiments and said President Kibaki had acted in contempt of Parliament and the public.

Mr Kimunya kept a low profile and could not be reached when we attempted to contact him. A message left on his cell phone voice box had not been returned by the time we went to press last night.

“By returning Kimunya to the Cabinet in cynical disregard for Parliament, public sentiment and prudent counsel, Kibaki has enacted the scene for an intriguing duel pitting executive insolence against parliamentary authority and popular will,” ODM parliamentary group secretary Ababu Namwamba said.

But assistant minister Mwangi Kiunjuri supported Mr Kimunya’s reappointment to the Cabinet while calling for the sacking of leaders implicated in corruption so that Kenyans can have faith in the Grand Coalition government.

100 per cent clean

“There is no politician who can claim to be 100 per cent clean, and Kenyans would not have been satisfied regardless of whoever could have been appointed in Mr Kimunya’s position. The best thing is to let the Trade minister do his work since he was not directly implicated in the scandal (Grand Regency saga),” he said.

The Laikipia East MP asked the relevant institutions empowered to fight graft to act fast and bring the culprits to book.

Mr Kiunjuri said Kenyans were getting disillusioned with the government’s lack of commitment to fight corruption following revelations that some of his colleagues were implicated in maize and oil scandals.

“We have only been hearing threats from Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission and the Attorney-General that corrupt individuals will be arraigned in court, but we are yet to see any action,” said the leader of Grand National Union party.

He added that now that ministers from both the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and Party of National Unity (PNU) are under suspicion of taking part in shoddy deals, they should be fired and prosecuted.

“As leaders we should own up to our actions, and this is the only way that we shall redeem the image of the coalition government which continues to be dented day after day,” the MP said.
Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee chairman and Ikolomani MP Bonny Khalwale said Mr Kimunya’s return to the Cabinet was a blow to the war against graft in the government.

Mr Khalwale, who moved the no-confidence motion against Mr Kimunya, said it was a big mistake for the President to reinstate the minister before Parliament had discussed the Okemo report.