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MPs resume Tuesday after month-long recess

MPs back at a time when the Jubilee alliance and their CORD rivals are facing off over numerous political differences. Photo/FILE.

MPs back at a time when the Jubilee alliance and their CORD rivals are facing off over numerous political differences. Photo/FILE.

NAIROBI, Kenya Jun 2 – The National Assembly and the Senate resume sittings on Tuesday, in what is likely to be a charged political environment after a month-long recess.

The leaders are back to work at a time when there is a showdown between the Jubilee Alliance and their opposition counterparts from the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD), which has repeatedly accused the government of numerous failures in leadership.

CORD leaders are particularly furious after President Uhuru Kenyatta authorized the payment of Sh1.4 billion to two Anglo Leasing companies without parliament’s approval.

They are also bitter that the president has empowered County Commissioners, whose posts were technically scrapped off under the new constitution, accusing him of taking the country back to the old system of the provincial administration.

When the House resumes, Cord is also expected to renew its push to have members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) removed from office.

CORD leader Raila Odinga says the commission, as currently constituted, should not preside over the next general election of 2017 after accusing it of bungling last year’s poll, in which the former prime minister claimed he lost the poll unfairly, even after conceding defeat after a Supreme Court ruling that ruled in President Kenyatta’s favour.

The Coalition has made it clear that it will not go to the next polls with IEBC as currently constituted on grounds that it will not conduct free and fair elections.

CORD has been holding a series of public rallies to rally Kenyans against the government, including on Saturday when Odinga demanded a national dialogue conference with the government to discuss the plight of Kenyans.

President Kenyatta has agreed to setting up the conference, but warned his administration is not prepared to share power with the opposition, although Odinga has insisted he is not interested in it.

Besides the National Budget, such political issues, are likely to dominate in the senate and national assembly once they resume on Tuesday.

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Budget committee chairman Mutava Musyimi was forced to withdraw a report recommending the payments to First Mercantile Finance and Universal Satspace after Jubilee Coalition threatened to shoot down the motion.

They were demanding that the faces behind the deals be unmasked before consideration for payment is made.

The motion on the removal from office of Devolution Secretary Anne Waiguru, drafted by Igembe South Member of Parliament Linturi, is also expected to the center stage, even though some of the MPs who had signed it said they will withdraw their signatures.

Linturi filed a petition seeking the removal of Waiguru from office two weeks ago, accusing him of transferring Kiplimo Rugut from the National Youth Service (NYS) illegally.

Deputy President William Ruto has however, defended Waiguru’s action, and urged “anyone with complaints to ask him and the President.”

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