Siaya Senator James Orengo on Tuesday, July 28 appealed to President Uhuru Kenyatta in an impassioned message on the floor of the Senate.
The Minority Leader was taking part in discussions over the controversial Third Basis Revenue Allocation Formula which has blurred party and political lines, as leaders from marginalized counties put the interests of their counties first.
It was the sixth sitting of the Senate to discuss the formula, going on past 9 pm when Deputy Speaker Margaret Kamar made the decision to adjourn to Tuesday, August 4 despite opposition from some Senators.
In his speech, Orengo lamented that unlike former President Mwai Kibaki, Uhuru was inaccessible to leaders. He argued that the stalemate, which threatens a cash crunch in the counties, would long have been resolved if Uhuru was accessible.
He went on to assert that he was not advising Uhuru for himself, but rather, for the country.
"The thing that President Kibaki did properly, no other President will be able to do it. I am not ashamed of saying that.
"I am advising the current President to be more accessible to enable us to solve these problems. We would not have been here if he was more accessible, I'm telling you without being afraid. I'm not saying it for me, I'm saying it for the country," he thundered.
Orengo's speech was met with approval from the Senators who stamped their feet and chanted in support during the heated session.
Orengo spoke after his motion seeking to adjourn the session to allow for consensus to be found was rejected.
He told Senators that he was disappointed in the house as they seemed to lack direction over the matter.
Orengo insisted that the matter of the revenue allocation formula was a weighty issue that needed to be given proper thought to ensure no county benefitted at the expense of another.
"We have lost our minds, with respect, I was hoping we could sit together as a people," he stated.
Orengo's stance was backed by, among others, Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula who noted that he wouldn't support the formula simply because his county would gain if others were to lose out. The controversial third basis formula pegs allocation primarily on population and county functions.
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