Kibaki and Raila set to meet over new Cabinet - Balncing the Magical Equation!

Kibaki and Raila set to meet over new Cabinet

Story by NATION Team
Publication Date: 3/24/2008


President Kibaki and ODM leader Raila Odinga will meet Tuesday to decide on the sharing of ministries in the expanded government.

The defining session at State House comes as MPs in PNU, ODM and ODM- Kenya keep their fingers crossed on whether they will be part of the new administration.

Head of the Presidential Press Services Isaiah Kabira confirmed the scheduling of the meeting that was postponed twice last week.

The sensitive issue of portfolio balance in the new Cabinet is likely to be the major item in the consultations.
The national accord that brought PNU and ODM together in a grand coalition stated that balance of high profile ministries was a key element the parties must consider.

Coalition chief whip Jakoyo Midiwo said the two sides were now entering into negotiations on how to share the high profile ministries, some of which are being held by key leaders in PNU and ODM-K.

“The negotiations on portfolio balance will take place this week and I hope our principals will not disagree on the issue,” said Mr Jakoyo in a telephone interview.

Cabinet ministers Martha Karua and Noah Wekesa said the decision on the balancing of powerful ministries was in the hands of President Kibaki and Mr Odinga.

Said Ms Karua, the Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister: “We are going to wait for the two leaders to make their move. It is a matter that some of us have no authority over and cannot therefore comment on.”

Ministerial slots

Dr Wekesa, the Science and Technology minister, said: “The portfolio balance should not necessarily be tied to communities but be guided by the quality of MPs that can hold them,” he said.

The high profile ministries are: Internal Security, Finance, Constitutional Affairs, Local Government, Foreign Affairs, Roads and Public Works, Information and Communications and Transport.

Others are Agriculture, Health, Trade and Industry, Planning, Defence, Education, Water and Irrigation, Energy and Lands.

“Until the President and Prime Minister-designate have considered the matter of portfolio balance, which is more complicated than what most people think, the Cabinet may not be named,” said ODM’s secretary-general Anyang Nyong’o.

Anxiety has been building up among MPs since the two Bills that created the coalition government and the positions of Prime Minister and two deputies were speedily passed last week by Parliament.

There are reports that the size of the Cabinet could be expanded to give the President and Mr Odinga room to meet some of the demands from different quarters of their MPs. The pressure to expand the Cabinet is said to be driven by some PNU members who want to be recognised for their role in the elections.

But Dr Wekesa called for a lean Cabinet and urged the two principals to ignore MPs who were behind the idea of a bigger Cabinet.

Mr Midiwo, the Gem MP, said it was impossible for all MPs to be named ministers and urged his colleagues to play their roles to develop the country.

Appoint ministers

The Constitution gives powers to President Kibaki to appoint ministers from among MPs without consulting any other person. However, the national accord obliges him to consult Mr Odinga over ODM MPs who have to be appointed ministers and assistant ministers.

In a sign of the hurdles facing the naming of the new Cabinet, Roads and Public Works minister John Michuki has asked ODM not to make unrealistic demands.

He said: “Our ODM partners should not be like the proverbial camel which was allowed to put its head into a hut only to later push the whole body in, displacing even the occupant in the process.”

Mr Michuki said he supported the formation of the coalition government but President Kibaki should not relinquish more powers than was necessary since he was elected by Kenyans.

He said ODM should not dictate how many or which positions they should be allocated in the Government.

Mr Michuki is seen as one of the hardliners in the Kibaki regime uncomfortable with the power-sharing deal.

He was speaking in his Kangema constituency during the burial of Dr Mwangi Njire, who died in the US aged 76.

In Mombasa, Archbishop Boniface Lele Sunday asked President Kibaki and Mr Odinga not to be blinded by sharing positions but to ensure every Kenyan benefited from the new political arrangement.

Speaking at Holy Ghost Catholic Cathedral, Bishop Lele said the leaders should not forget the pain people endured soon after presidential election results were announced.

In Kisumu, two Anglican clerics cast doubts on the power-sharing deal as a lasting solution to the problems bedevilling Kenya.

Bishops Francis Abiero Mwai (Maseno South) and Joseph Otieno Wasonga (Maseno West) said comprehensive land and constitutional reforms were key to lasting peace.

Reports by Bernard Namunane, Waikwa Maina, Mwakera Mwajefa and Daniel Otieno


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