ODM demands fresh talks on coalition deal
Prime Minister Raila Odinga (left) and Agriculture minister William Ruto after attending an ODM National Executive Committee/Parliamentary Group meeting at the party’s headquarters in Nairobi on Tuesday. The party’s top leadership complained that the party had been short-changed in the coalition. Photo/HEZRON NJOROGE
A new battleground threatened to open up in Kenya's Grand Coalition Government on Tuesday when the Orange Democratic Movement party (ODM) demanded renegotiation of the power-sharing accord.
The party promised to take the issue to a meeting in Geneva at the end of this month to be attended by President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga. The orange party complained it had not been allowed to take part fully as an equal partner in the coalition government.
The fresh demand raises concern over its participation in the one-year-old Grand Coalition Government and comes just a few weeks before the two principals fly to Geneva for a conference on the status of the coalition convened by the chief mediator, former UN Secretary-General Koffi Annan.
The party’s top hierarchy led by the Prime Minister complained officially for the first time that the party had been short-changed.
Although party leaders have in the past publicly claimed they had been given a raw deal, this is the first time a leading party organ (National Executive Council) has released an official statement on the matter.
ODM secretary general Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o read the party’s resolutions after the NEC meeting at Orange House in Nairobi.
Mr Odinga has often insisted that the National Accord gave him equal powers with President Kibaki. The Coalition Government, the party said, had fallen short of implementing the National Accord “in letter and spirit, thereby short-changing our party in appointments.”
The main partner of PNU in coalition government, said the power-sharing deal reached between President Kibaki and Mr Odinga on February 28, last year, ending two months of post-election violence, had been undermined and needed to be renegotiated. But in a rejoinder, PNU rejected the demand for renegotiation.
Ministerial level
The party’s vice-chairman in-charge of election affairs, Mr George Nyamweya, told the Nation that the world over, power-sharing in coalitions was done at ministerial level where policies are crafted and that civil service appointments were not politicised.
The nominated MP said ambassadors the world over were appointed by the President and represented him. “That is why they are referred to as excellencies,” he said.
