• At the centre of the new feud that is proving to be unity test to the opposition coalition is the decision by the National Assembly’s Nasa PG to dewhip Butere MP Tindi Mwale, who also doubles as ANC party whip.
• The Musalia Mudavadi-led ANC party has protested the move, claiming they were never consulted as a partner in the coalition.
The push and pull that followed crackdown on ‘rebel’ MPs by the National Super Alliance could be headed to the coalition’s Summit, the Star has learnt.
At the centre of the new feud that is proving to be unity test to the opposition coalition is the decision by the National Assembly’s Nasa PG to dewhip Butere MP Tindi Mwale, who also doubles as ANC party whip.
The Musalia Mudavadi-led ANC party has protested the move, claiming they were never consulted as a partner in the coalition.
The party now wants the Nasa Summit to intervene in the matter that is threatening to widen the rifts in the coalition.
ANC deputy party leader Ayub Savula said the Summit has intervened and will soon unlock the stalemate.
He confirmed that already, the principals have started consultation, and that a solution will be found "soon".
“The matter is now being negotiated at Summit level and before the House resumes on Tuesday, they should have resolved the issue,” the Lugari lawmaker MP said.
Raila Odinga (ODM), Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Mudavadi (ANC) and Moses Wetang'ula (Ford Kenya) together make up the Nasa Summit, the highest decision making organ in the alliance.
Speaking to the Star on Friday, National Assembly Minority leader John Mbadi, who chaired the Parliamentary Group meeting, said the Summit is free to meet and converse on the matter and that their resolution will be subjected to the PG for consideration.
“They need to understand that we have a parliamentary leadership. This was not an ODM decision. That decision is a Parliamentary Group decision,” Mbadi said on the phone.
“They will make a decision and communicate it to us as the parliamentary leadership. Once they communicate, I will subject it to the PG because it is the same group that dewhipped the members.”
Mbadi also accused ANC of holding the coalition at ransom when the disciplinary action cut across almost all the political parties in Nasa.
“ANC has only one member disciplined out of the nine MPs. We had three members from Ford Kenya and three from ODM. How comes it is ANC who are making a lot of noise over one person, who they are not able to manage?” posed the Suba South MP.
Topping the list of dewhipped MPs is Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa, who was replaced as deputy Minority Whip by Tongaren lawmaker Eseli Simiyu.
The PG also resolved to initiate the process of recalling Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa from Parliamentary Service Commission.
Those dewhipped will remain without committees for the next six months, until Nasa convenes another PG to review whether to lift the sanctions or not.
Silvanus Osoro (South Mugirango, KNC) was removed from the Agriculture and Implementation committee, Nakara Lodepe (Turkana Central) lost his membership to the Defence and Relations Committee, while Catherine Wambilianga (Bungoma Woman Rep) was removed from three committees – Labour, Education and Committee on S.
Vincent Kemosi (West Mugirango, Ford Kenya) was removed from Transport and Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Committee, while Ugenya MP David Ochieng (MDG) from the Health committee.
Tindi Mwale will lose his membership in three committees – Energy, Delegated Legislation and Committee on Selection- while Paul Katana (Kaloleni, ODM) and Badi Twalib (Jomvu, ODM) were removed from parliamentary Investments Committee and Budget and Appropriations committee respectively.
Edited by EKibii