The Jubilee Coalition has started a
caucus of Parliamentary committee chairmen to push for its agenda in the
House in what is seen as a way of clipping the powers of Majority
Leader Aden Duale.
Mr Duale is on the spot over what Jubilee leaders term as his “lukewarm” support for the war on terrorism.
Mr
Duale has proved himself as a key defender of the Jubilee
administration and is said to have rubbed its leaders the wrong way when
he opposed the Westgate report in Parliament.
On
Monday, Mr Duale, appearing in a local TV show, had difficulty
responding to a caller who questioned why he had twitted condolences to
the family of slain Mombasa cleric, Sheikh Makaburi, yet he has not said
anything about the Likoni church attack.
He later described crackdown in Eastleigh on illegal aliens by police as “indiscriminate harassment”.
He later described crackdown in Eastleigh on illegal aliens by police as “indiscriminate harassment”.
The
Majority Leader surprised many on Friday when he threatened to withdraw
his support for the Jubilee government over “arbitrary arrests of his
people.”
That was the first time Mr Duale had made unsavoury remarks about the Kenyatta administration.
“We
stand by the interests of our people,” Mr Duale said at a rally in
Eastleigh attended by over 20 MPs and Senators from North Eastern, Coast
and Upper Eastern.
“We were elected by the Muslim
community and we shall defend their interests,” he said amidst cheers
from the charged crowd, at a time when President Kenyatta was presiding
over passing out of police recruits in Kiganjo and declaring tough war
on terrorism.
On Thursday, Mr Duale led other Muslim
leaders in a meeting with Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku at
Harambee House over the war on terror and then they visited Central
Police station.
The Harambee House meeting was
organised by a National Council Against Drug Abuse official and attended
by 29 Muslim and government leaders. It is at the meeting where Mr
Duale is said to have come under attack from participants for failing to
provide Muslim leadership.
Jubilee Coalition
strategist Moses Kuria told the Sunday Nation Mr Duale’s actions had
caused unease among its top leadership, as he was seen to be
contradicting the President’s stance against terrorism.
“It
would be better for Jubilee to lose power than continue to entertain
his behaviour — his competing interests meant to entrench him in power,”
Mr Kuria said.
According to Mr Kuria, Mr Duale opposed
the Westgate report because it called for the closure of the Dadaab
refugee camp yet it is a Jubilee agenda which had been reached through a
tripartite agreement with the United Nations High Commission for
Refugees and the Somalia Government.
“It is wrong for
Mr Duale to condemn the crackdown on criminals and terrorists yet it is
countrywide. It is not an Eastleigh, Mombasa or Muslim issue. It is as
if he is fighting government efforts to create security,” Mr Kuria said,
Mr Kuria said Jubilee committee chairmen from both URP and TNA are changing party structures to ensure they head the policy docket within their party.
Mr Kuria said Jubilee committee chairmen from both URP and TNA are changing party structures to ensure they head the policy docket within their party.
Known as the Jubilee Coalition Committee, it is to be chaired on a rotational basis by the MPs.
But
nominated MP Johnson Sakaja, who is the current committee chair, said
the formation of the group has nothing to do with undermining Mr Duale,
but is meant to complement his work.
“Ours is a
consultative forum to agree on issues before the committees and update
each other on what the committees are doing,” Mr Sakaja said.
“Lack
of coordination has cost us some reports and motions in the House. That
is why we decided we should meet on a regular basis to discuss issues
with members so that we take common positions,” Mr Sakaja said adding
that the committees’ caucus was reminiscent with those in other
presidential structures, such as in the US
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