NASA principals at a past event [PHOTO/nation.co.ke]
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party is trying to play ‘big brother’ and deny its NASA affiliates key parliamentary committee seats.
This is according to complains that have come from Wiper and ANC parties.
The accusations have come at a time the Orange brigade wielded its 'tyranny of numbers' and got two powerful slots in both the Senate and the National Assembly.
Earlier, the NASA parties had agreed to share the slots equitably only for ODM to develop a last-minute muscle and edge out its partners.
Musalia Mudavadi’s ANC, Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper and Moses Wetangula’s Ford Kenya felt betrayed when ODM members opted to express their candidature even in a committee that had been preserved for ANC.
Nambale MP Sakwa Bunyasi had been tricked into the candidature of the powerful National Assembly Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi to be elected by the majority ODM members.
“We had agreed that I be PAC chairman because of my experience after the coalition partners agreed on equitable distribution of slots among partner parties. So it was a surprise that ODM fronted a candidate and rallied members to vote for him,” he said.
The developments did not go well with ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi who called Lugari MP Ayub Savula to express his dissatisfaction.
“We are the owners of NASA, we will run away with it and leave ODM to remain with their National Resistance Movement. We cannot continue to stay in a house where we are not being treated as equals,” Savula said.
For the Public Investments Committee (PIC) chairperson's slot, Wiper had presented Rashid Kassim (Wajir East) with Gideon Mulyungi (Mwingi Central) as vice chair but both lost to ODM counterparts.
“What is the point of having both the chair and vice from one party yet we are also equal partners in the coalition? It is high time we review our partnership with ODM,” a disappointed Mulyungi said.