“The President will engage you like any other citizen…so if you hear he is Murang’a or Bondo you look for a chance,” said Duale/JANE GOIN
Duale said he has the mandate of responding to Odinga since he is the Majority Leader and speaks for the Executive since President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto are too busy implementing the Jubilee manifesto and have no time for political rhetoric.
“The President will engage you like any other citizen…so if you hear he is Murang’a or Bondo you look for a chance,” said Duale.
He advised Odinga to write to State House Comptroller Lawrence Lenayapa to seek permission to see the President and if allowed, he would have the opportunity to share his concerns as opposed to making unnecessary public declarations.
“I am the Leader of Government Business courtesy of Article 108 of the Constitution, so I don’t play in the same league with any of his MPs; I play a league higher than that of the former PM,” said Duale adding that whenever he was less busy he would respond to him.
“He should be ready for me, and it’s not because I love it, but the Constitution has given me the mandate.”
Seemingly angered by Odinga’s statements which appeared to belittle him, Duale said: “This is not the Duale that you sacked in 2009 who was in ODM, this is not just the Garissa Township MP… As long as I am the Leader of Government Business and as long as I am the spokesman of the coalition I will engage you,” he added.
He said the Leaders of Minority in the two Houses of Parliament were even more powerful and had more authority than the former PM as their roles were entrenched in the Constitution as opposed to Odinga’s, whose title he said was only in the ODM Constitution as party leader.
“If you want to engage the National Assembly, you can do that through Francis Nyenze and in the Senate it is Moses Wetangula,” he asserted.
During the handover ceremony for the OKOA Kenya draft bill and the accompanying signatures to the CORD principals, Odinga dismissed Duale saying he only expected either President Kenyatta or his deputy to reply to him and not Duale who was not his equal.
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