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Kibaki, Raila visits leave Kisii MPs a divided lot

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Published on Thursday, 30 June 2011 19:36

Differences have emerged among Kisii MPs following President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s tours of the region last week. The MPs, who had publicly declared that they had put aside the political party differences to pursue their community’s interests, seem to have fallen out after the separate visits.

Local legislators in the ODM side of the Coalition Government are unhappy with their PNU colleagues for boycotting the PM’s visit."They (PNU MPs) had no justification to shun the premier yet we all attended the President’s function," Public Health Assistant Minister James Gesami told The Standard.

The West Mugirango MP said their colleagues should have attended the meeting addressed by Raila in South Mugirango or at least sent a representative.

development mission"We are disappointed with their move. We are all in a Coalition Government and it does not augur well to attend a function of one principal and ignore the other, yet both of them were on a development mission," he charged.

The premier was last Sunday hosted by South Mugirango MP Manson Nyamweya of Ford-People at a function graced by five of 11 MPs in Kisii, including Public Works Minister Chris Obure, Assistant Minister Simon Ogari, Charles Onyancha and Gesami. Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister Richard Onyonka did not attend but was reported to be abroad on official duty.

The visit came a day after the President had visited the area accompanied by all the 11 MPs led by Education Minister Sam Ongeri.

But reached for comment, Ongeri said he was not invited for the premier’s function and, therefore, could not intrude.

"I was not informed of the premier’s visit. I learnt about the tour from the media," he told The Standard.

"We met in the Office of the President and agreed on the tour as Kisii MPs devoid of our political party alignment. But this was not the case with the PM’s visit," he said.

belatedly invited

On his part, Nyaribari-Chache MP Dr Robert Monda said he was belatedly invited to the premier’s function and was not party to the arrangements though his Narc party has a working relation with ODM.

But the shunning of the PM’s function has more to do with the pressure to have Ongeri resign than the excuse of having not been invited formally, it has emerged. Speaking at Gesusu in his Nyaribari-Masaba constituency on Monday, Ongeri said a senior politician was pushing for his exit so that he could replace him with his cronies in Kisii.

Notably, during President Kibaki’s visit, former Kisii MPs, including former minister Henry Obwocha, Jimmy Angwenyi, Joel Onyancha, Omingo Magara, Zebedeo Opore and Hezron Manduku were invited and sat at the presidential dais.

"We don’t know why they were brought on board but we’re keenly following the emerging scenario," an MP said after the President’s tour.