Kariobangi South MCA Robert Mbatia who was short changed from the leadership of the Budget committee
The Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition party cohesion at the Nairobi City County Assembly is in jeopardy, this after the Jubilee Party faction of the majority side threatened to walk away form the coalition citing shortchanging by their Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party countrtparts.
Reports emerging from the county assembly at city hall indicate that Jubilee Members of the County Assembly have resolved to decamp from the Azimio wing following what they claim is high handedness from their ODM counterparts and misinformation to the Azimio party leader Raila Odinga.
According to Jubilee party MCA’s, ODM negated on their part of the bargain taking important positions which were meant to be shared out by constituent parties in the coalition which makes up the majority in the aassembly while leaving out members from other parties.
Kariobangi South MCA Robert Mbatia who was initially lined up to take up chairmanship of the House Budget and Apropriations committee was shortchanged at the last minute with the seat going to ODM.
Jubilee have now threatened to actualise their walk out plan from Azimio which will see the Majority side’s numbers in the assembly reduce giving command of the house to the Kenya Kwanza side on the floor of the house.
A several ago, several Azimio MCA’s allied to Jubilee and Wiper parties paid a courtesy call to Azimio Party Leader Raila Odinga and made the suggestion to the Opposition leader that the only way Azimio can hold on to their house majority is by consensus which, they said would be by having the initial Majority leadership favorite South C MCA Abass Khalif take over as the leader of majority from ODM’s Makongeni MCA Peter Imwatok.
South C MCA Abass Khalif
The leaders suggested to Odinga that Abass had struck a rapport with MCAs from within Azimio La Umoja ranks and was best placed to hold the majority side together, an idea that Odinga agreed with.
However, Assembly speaker Ken Ngondi allegedly misadvised Odinga against changing the majority leadership. Ngondi told Odinga that assembly standing orders did not allow the change of the leader of Majority before the lapse of one year, which is not true, and therefore, Abass could not take over from Imwatok.
According to insiders, Odinga and ODM hierarchy had agreed to have Abass as the leader of majority and Mbatia as the chairman of the budget committee but was misadvised by the speaker.
Abbas had already emerged the most popular candidate for the majority leadership following his dedication to the party’s activities. Abbas dedicated his time to campaign for the Azimio candidate in the election of speaker. He used his connections, intelligence and resources to keep the Azimio MCA’S together to avoid interference from a Kenya Kwanza operative that was busy trying to woo tem into backing the Kenya Kwanza candidate,” one MCA told us of the happenings.
Azimio MCA’s allied to Jubilee have backed Abbas because he has already demonstrated his ability to lead us as the majority side in the assembly noting that he was best placed to unite the majority side as opposed to other ODM MCA’s who they said are all ego centric and self centered.
Majority of Azimio stakeholders and party officials are in support of Abbas assuming the majority leader position in the house due to his ability to hold the Azimio team at city hall together.
