Blame game over failed review talks

An attempt by a section of MPs to accuse the government of sabotaging the Naivasha constitutional talks was tossed back to their faces.

The Executive reminded them that they were the same ones who had voted against the forum. A day after they voted against an adjournment to pave the way for the talks scheduled to start on Thursday, some MPs turned around to accuse the government of sabotaging the same forum.

But Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Government Chief Whip George Thuo told them squarely that they had refused and blocked the House from proceeding to the meeting.

The blame game played out in the House as the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr Patrick Gichohi, sent a team of four officers, led by the principal accounts controller, to Naivasha to negotiate the cancellation with hotels where reservations had been made.

The team was also to authenticate the exact amount to be paid. The Nation confirmed that 48 MPs, including an advance team of the Parliamentary Select Committee on the law review, had already checked in at the hotels to prepare for the session.

The advance team returned on Thursday morning after the unexpected turn of events. The Nation also confirmed that Parliament had reserved only 150 rooms against a total of 222 MPs, which it was forced to cancel after developments in the House on Wednesday evening.

The Clerk’s office revealed that the provisional bill for the entire forum had been placed at Sh4 million. The parliamentary finance team was to check payments for the 48 MPs who had already reported at the hotels.

The team was then expected to urgently submit a report to the Parliamentary Service Commission, which manages the affairs of the House.

The Naivasha forum was meant to enable MPs to familiarise themselves with the contents of the draft constitution before it comes to the House floor for debate. It had been scheduled to start on Thursday by the House Business Committee.