Steering team in the eye of the storm

• The two principals are expected to join MPs in retreat on consensus building

The party insisted that the final document from KIA should have a powerful Senate, a maximum of 18 regions and the 47 counties be left intact.

But by Friday evening, ODM had lost heavily on its irreducible minimum since the retreat had done away with the 47 counties while the regions had been increased to 25.

“The committee settled for two levels of devolution -- national and regional,” a member of the Steering Committee told the Sunday Nation.

MPs were especially divided on the issue of regions with some like Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo demanding that the Constitution should be explicit on whether Kenya is adopting the majimbo (federalism) system.

The MP questioned the sovereignty that would be granted to the national government as well as regional governments.

Equally contentious was the issue of representation in the regional assemblies. The Steering Committee had proposed that each constituency has three representatives in the regional assemblies.

Some MPs wondered what fate would befall councillors as some saw the move to introduce the three representatives as scrapping the position of civic leaders.

The transition clause, which sought to remove the matter of the prime minister being consulted by the president, was vehemently opposed by some of Mr Odinga’s critics, including Mr William Ruto.