NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 28 – National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed has pointed out to incapability of the ruling party to solve the issues bedeviling the nation saying only a broad-based approach will transform the country.
Mohamed emphasized the need to foster a bipartisan approach in governance which has faced criticism, especially in the consideration of the legislative agenda in the bi-cameral house.
He was speaking during the midterm retreat of the 13th Parliament amidst speculation of a coalition pact between the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and the United Democratic Alliance ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“The challenges facing our nation are too great to be solved by a single party. We must appreciate that our work in the Fourth Session comes against the backdrop of the broad-based government,” the Minority Leader said.
Since he got into office, President William Ruto has enjoyed control of the National Assembly and Senate under the Kenya Kwanza Alliance umbrella and with the agreement with the opposition ODM, he has absolute control.
ODM has the highest count of Members of Parliament on the minority side and holds key House leadership positions.
By closing ranks with United Democratic Alliance, it is viewed that President Ruto will have more votes in Parliament.
At least 231 MPs are allied to Kenya Kwanza, including 179 elected and others poached from the opposition. With ODM entering the fold, the count could grow to more than 260.
UDA has 137 MPs, meaning Ruto could easily get a head start of 220 votes even before getting votes from his coalition partners Ford Kenya and Amani National Congress.
Concerns have been raised that President Ruto has decimated the opposition weakening government accountability.
The Minority Leader addressed the concerns saying the motivation of the broad-based government is aimed at addressing the plight of Kenyans through a collaborative approach.
“I therefore urge us to embrace this spirit, put our differences aside and work towards discharging our mandate as a collective despite concerns and criticisms regarding the motivation behind the formation of the broad-based government,” Mohamed stated.
Additionally, the Minority Leader urged lawmakers to focus on legislative issues that address the most pressing concerns despite setbacks including the invasion of Parliament on 25th June after MPs passed the Finance Bill 2024.
“Even as we plan, we remain aware that instances may arise whereby we may be derailed and incompletely incapacitated from performing our legislative and other roles. The invasion of our Parliament Building during the Third Session is a good case in point,” he noted.
“The good news is that we were able to rise above such challenges and keep forging ahead as we strive to serve the people of Kenya. We therefore remain hopeful that the Fourth Session will be productive,” he added.
