Draft Law: How ‘miracle’ deal was struck

The PNU strategists spotted in Naivasha included spokesperson Moses Kuria, leading academician Prof Peter Kagwanja who is based in Pretoria, former MP Dr Jimmy Angwenyi, city lawyers Dr Stephen Njiru, Amos Makokha and John Katiku, presidential advisor on coalition matters Prof Kivutha Kibwana and Kanu organising secretary and former Siakago MP Justin Muturi.

Guiding principle

On Friday, North Horr MP Chachu Ganya said the PSC’s “guiding principle” was the growing public fatigue in the push for a new law. “We almost lost this country in early 2008 because the current Constitution is inadequate…we had to do things differently,” a relieved Mr Ganya said.

Mr Ganya said the compromise deal out of Naivasha was “best deal for everyone.” “I can’t say it was the best compromise for me, but my situation was catered for,” he said. “Democracy is all about numbers so at any given time population has to be given more weight.”

Mr Ganya said the team had “negotiated” with the principals before the Naivasha retreat and thus the compromise had the political backing it required for it to sail through the referendum. Mr Wetang’ula told the Saturday Nation that the meetings were cordial because the “political temperature” at the moment was not as “hot” as it was in 2004 when the PSC met in Naivasha’s Sopa lodge.

“This time round, the MPs are able to agree with each other… even when they have different points of view, they are able to listen and see where their colleagues are coming from,” said Mr Wetang’ula. He said the 2004 committee, in which he served, was “politically volatile” as the MPs were pulling in different directions to satisfy their party interests.

Wonderful

ODM Nominated MP Sofia Abdi Noor lauded the just concluded discussion as “wonderful.” Ms Sofia was a delegate for the civil society in the Bomas Delegates Conference.

Another PSC member, nominated MP Amina Abdalla, attributed the success at Naivasha to the fact that members of the technical committees that had worked with ministers from ODM and PNU in their failed attempt to strike consensus on the contentious chapters of executive and devolution were kept out of the deliberations. “We succeeded because we managed to keep the disruptive elements, the so-called technical teams out of the meeting,” she said.

Reported by Alphonce Shiundu, Oliver Mathenge and Peter Leftie