A storm is brewing in the National Super Alliance(NASA) after an alleged move by the ODM Party to push away affiliate parties and take control of powerful positions in the National Assembly and Senate.
The Orange Party led by Opposition Leader Raila Odinga has reportedly allocated itself key positions available for the minority in both Houses, leaving Wiper Party, Ford-Kenya, Amani National Congress (ANC) and Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM) to share the remnants.
The Star reports that Mr Odinga's Party wants the following positions in the National assembly; Minority Leader, Minority Whip and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairperson while in the Senate they want the position of Deputy Minority leader with Ford- Kenya's Moses Wetangula retaining Senate Minority Leader position.
In the reported ODM line-up, Suba North Member of Parliament (MP) John Mbadi has been fronted for the National Assembly Minority leader position while Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi would take the PAC leadership from former Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo.
Homa Bay Women Representative Gladys Wanga is set to be retained as a commissioner of the Parliamentary Service Commission, where she served for four and half years whereas Suba South MP Millie Odhiambo is being fronted to chair the Pan African Parliament, a lobby group of African parliamentarians.
The line-up has already created in-house fights within the alliance as different leaders have questioned the criteria being used in allocating the position.
On Thursday, Kitui West MP Francis Nyenze announced that he was firmly in the race to defend his seat and questioned the rationale of the supposed sharing of positions by ODM.
“Wiper has made huge sacrifices and deserves to be appreciated, and not necessarily rewarded. I will personally be bidding for my position,” Nyenze stated.
Musalia Mudavadi's Party on their part demanded that the PAC chair position, the Minority leader, Senate whip and PSC commissioner should be allocated to them.
Mbadi, however, dismissed the reported lineup, saying that NASA is set to hold a meeting next week to discuss various contentious issues among them the parliamentary positions.
“ODM has not sat to agree on positions to go for. We were to have a Parliamentary Group Meeting (PG) on Wednesday but it was cancelled.
"The point is, we have a PG meeting that the party leader has asked me to inform the colleagues and I have done. The PG will meet 10:00 am on Tuesday, August 29, at the Okoa Kenya secretariat," Mbadi stated.
