23-minute speech ends debate on Hague decision

What you need to know:

  • President Kenyatta has only addressed Parliament twice, at the opening in April last year and the State of the Nation address in March this year.
  • Deputy President William Ruto will be acting President as the President travels to The Hague as a private citizen.

After a week of debate on whether President Uhuru Kenyatta would heed the summons of the ICC and attend the status conference on his case, it took just 23 minutes to end all speculation.

That time was spent listening, fidgeting, scrolling on a tablet here and there, and the occasional foot thumping from the Jubilee side of the House.

But it was hard to tell whether it was to applaud the President or to release a little of the tension created by his decision to play his cards close to his chest.

The special sitting, called without a suggestion of the agenda, helped fuel speculation that the President would finally break the silence on whether he would travel to The Hague.

His 23-minute speech was preceded by close to an hour of waiting by senators and MPs, who interrupted their recess to meet on Monday, an unusual day for Parliament to sit.

The arrival of the Cabinet secretaries at 3.30pm was a welcome sign because it meant the meeting said to have caused the delay had ended and the President was about to arrive.

He did, about 10 minutes later, and after introductory remarks by Speaker Justin Muturi, launched into the address, initially building up a case for refusing to go to the ICC, and then turning round to state he would travel.

President Kenyatta has only addressed Parliament twice, at the opening in April last year and the State of the Nation address in March this year.

Monday’s special sitting was a first of sorts. It was treated like a State opening, with the military presenting a guard of honour, Parliament doing some interior decoration and setting up the dining room for the traditional snacks and soft drinks after the speech.

SCHOOL CHILDREN

The usual security cordon was thrown around the entire neighbourhood, with Parliament closed and manned by Military Police; Parliament Buildings were swarming with security agents.

Still, the school children who had planned to visit Parliament were not disappointed, although they did spend more than an hour looking and probably wondering when the real action would start.

The special sitting came at a bad time for some MPs; a good number of the Muslim MPs — such as Majority Leader Aden Duale — are in Mecca for the annual Hajj.

The Public Accounts Committee had just travelled to Mombasa to compile three reports, while the Budget and Appropriations Committee had started public hearings in parts of the country.

The majority of MPs from Cord stood by their decision to skip the sitting and it was evident in the Chamber, where more than 100 seats were vacant. Just about 250 of the 416 legislators were present.

Most vocal among the Cord MPs who attended was Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma, who took time to chat with his colleagues and shake a lot of hands before settling in a seat at the back.

Other notable Cord MPs in the House were Mr Dalmas Otieno (Rongo, ODM), Mr David Musila (Kitui Senator, Wiper), Mr Richard Onyonka (Kitutu Chache South, ODM) and Dr Paul Otuoma (Funyula, ODM).

Former Minority Whip Gideon Mungaro’s entry was welcomed by applause from the Jubilee side.

But that was just a diversion, because the real action would come in the 23 minutes it took President Kenyatta to read his speech.

As he left, shaking every proffered hand and forcing the officers carrying the mace to transit from a quick to a slow march, you could almost feel the tension escaping the room.

Deputy President William Ruto will be acting President as the President travels to The Hague as a private citizen.