Azimio leader Raila Odinga will on Friday chair the coalition’s Parliamentary Group meeting to lay down the roadmap for his next course of action after losing the presidential election.
The meeting will also discuss the sharing of parliamentary leadership positions amongst Azimio constituent parties.
Raila will be joined by his running mate Martha Karua and Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka at the meeting scheduled at Stoni Athi in Machakos county.
This will be the first meeting of the coalition following the inauguration of William Ruto as the country’s fifth President.
While leaving the country last week, Raila promised to consult his Azimio team on the way forward even as he maintained the outcome of the presidential contest remains ‘indeterminate’.
“I will, jointly with Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party leaders, announce our next steps as we seek to deepen and strengthen our democracy,” Raila said in a statement dated September 12.
Azimio leaders who spoke to the Star confirmed receiving the invite for the PG.
Nominated MP John Mbadi told the Star that among other issues to be discussed include important parliamentary matters.
“Yes, we have been invited to the retreat tomorrow but the agenda has not been communicated. If the issue of parliamentary leadership and committees comes up I am sure our leaders shall guide us appropriately,” Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi confirmed to the Star.
The coalition has been grappling with how to share parliamentary seats amongst the constituent parties even as they wait for Speaker Moses Wetang’ula's ruling on who between Azimio and Kenya Kwanza are the majority at the National Assembly.
Even though Azimio has more MPs on paper, recent realignments has seen Kenya Kwanza leapfrogging the Raila-led party as a number of coalition’s affiliates ditch the opposition outfit.
Makueni senator Dan Maanzo said Azimio will consider getting court’s interpretation should the Speaker rule in favour of Kenya Kwanza at the National Assembly.
In the senate, Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza is the majority after beating Azimio with one member after resignation of Wetang’ula.
“In National Assembly, by Registrar’s records we are the majority. We might go to court for interpretations depending on how Wetang’ula will rule,” Maanzo said.
According to Mbadi, Friday’s meeting will allocate seats to specific Azimio parties who will then forward names of their nominees for onward submission to the Speaker.
Among the positions the coalitions will be seeking the consensus of their members on are majority, minority leaders, and their deputies in the Senate and National Assembly.
Also up for grabs are majority and minority whips and their deputies as well as the chairperson and vice chairpersons of various committees of the two Houses of Parliament.
The retreats will also discuss and agree on the placement of members to the leadership of various parliamentary committees and the Parliamentary Service Commission.
“I just know that we will agree on allocating seats to the constituent parties, it is better to allow parties to agree on their own, they should propose the names,” Mbadi said on phone.
ODM, Jubilee, Wiper and DAP-K are some of the Azimio parties with representation in Parliament.
The Star has established that ODM—which is the dominant party in Azimio—will bag leadership positions in the two houses as well as whips in the bi-cameral House.
National Assembly’s deputy majority leader, deputy whip and Senate deputy whip is reportedly earmarked for Kalozo’s Wiper.
Former Minority Leader John Mbadi has emerged as the favourite for the coveted majority leader position; MPs Opiyo Wandayi (Ugunja) and Junet Mohammed (Suna East) are also eyeing the position.
In senate, Homa Bay senator Moses Kajwang’ and his Kilifi counterpart Steward Madzayo are leading the park in the battle for minority leader.
Both are Raila allies and are serving their third terms as senators.
Osotsi—the only Azimio elected Senator from the former Western Province—is eyeing the deputy minority leader position in the Senate.
“I would wish to serve as the deputy minority leader in the Senate for effective representation of the formerly Western province, taking note that I am the only elected Azimio Senator in the region. The sharing of leadership positions should take into account the regional interests and should not be limited to political parties, otherwise ODM shall be disadvantaged,” he said.
For the whip, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and his Makueni counterpart Dan Maanzo are all eyeing the seat.
The two are serving their first term as senators though Maanzo was a member of the National Assembly in the last two Parliaments.
Maanzo told the Star that Wiper will not bid for bigger position in the Senate owing to its numbers admitting that ODM deserves the top seats.
“Obviously I can’t be the leader, maybe whip or something. Many senators are from ODM, it is not good to expect too much,” Maanzo said.
“We are only four, ODM has quite a number so you cannot take a bigger seat, it must be within your share. None of them (seats) has been determined but I know they maybe slotted in for tomorrow (Friday).”
-Edited by SKanyara
