Ugunja Member of parliament Opiyo Wandayi [Photo/www.bussinesstoday.co.ke]
Members of parliament allied to NASA coalition affiliate parties will continue boycotting their legislative responsibilities until when the political stand-off in the country is resolved, ODM’s Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi has disclosed.
Both the Senate and National assembly house leadership have agreed to the fact that business has been crippled by the opposition’s failure to submit names of their leaders to aid in committee creation.
Mr. Wandayi during a talk show on KTN News on Tuesday said his colleagues will only make technical appearances to the house urging the ruling party not to expect any good riddance from the minority side.
He said parliament as currently constituted would only guard an executive he described as illegitimate saying this was why the coalition has opted to constitute a people’s assembly.
“This parliament started on the wrong footing when Jubilee constituted the house business committee in blatant violation of standing orders that require that membership is drawn from both sides of the house. This irregularity means anything they do in parliament is illegal,” said Wandayi.
Despite the coalition having sought more time to put its house in order, Mr. Wandayi, a close confidant of his party leader Raila Odinga, warned that Jubilee party leaders will be in for a rude shock, should they bury their heads in the grace period requested by NASA.
Senate speaker Kenneth Lusaka on Tuesday gave the NASA coalition two weeks to present their house leadership line-up to allow progress at the Senate after turning declining to grant the side an additional one month.
National assembly members are back on recess for another three weeks immediately after a break that had been necessitated by the October 26 repeat presidential election whose outcome has been challenged at the Supreme Court.
Kimilili MP Wekesa of Jubilee party has challenged the parliamentarians to drop their positions by resigning so as to join the people’s assembly which NASA argues shall have slots for Jubilee MPs.
“There is no need of burdening taxpayers by drawing their salaries; let them resign and let the people take back the mandate they gave them. We did not get majority seats illegitimately and they have themselves to blame,”
“We will continue to debate issues tabbed on the floor of the house and move forward. They should have come and let us debate issues affecting Kenyans together, but have opted to hold their meetings in Kibera, Mathare, and Kamkunji; how do you deal with such kind of people,” posed Mr. Wekesa.