Finance Bill vote exposes disunity in Raila's Azimio Parliament team
Azimio leaders led by the National Assembly Leader of Minority Opiyo WAndayi addressing the media after walking out of Parliament in protest of the Budget highlights for the FY 23/24 on June 15, 2023.
Silent but vicious internal wrangles have rocked Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition, with some blaming these fights for the dismal performance in key parliamentary battles.
Some MPs have complained about poor coordination, especially in the National Assembly where they say there is no strategy, and that Mr Odinga has been left to do some of the legislators’ work, including coordination, on the national platform.
Azimio la Umoja crumbled in their quest to reject the controversial Finance Act, 2023 whose implementation has now been suspended by the court.
The fight against the Bill, which Azimio has termed as anti-people, was characterised as a fight between President William Ruto and Mr Odinga as debate raged in public and in the House. Despite facing the prospect of being outvoted, some MPs who spoke in confidence say the opposition coalition should have done better with better organisation.
However, poor strategy and lack of coherence in consolidation of ideas and strategies within the leadership of the coalition gave President Ruto troops an easy victory against all the proposed amendments.
Azimio numbers never hit the 100 mark despite the coalition boasting of 157 members on paper according to the ruling by Speaker Moses Wetang’ula in his decision on the majority/minority contest.
Sources within the coalition told Sunday Nation that a cold war between members and a section of the leadership which they feel were imposed on them made some MPs to deliberately sabotage the opposition course to mount a serious challenge on the rejection of the Bill.
“What we are just lacking in this House is leadership. In this Bill, we had the people and a number of MPs from the Kenya Kwanza side who were just waiting for us to mount a serious challenge and they would have joined us,” said a second term MP.
Antony Kibagendi (Kitutu Chache South, ODM) says that the problem with Azimio and ODM in particular is lack of vibrancy in Parliament to strategise.
“What we lack is vibrancy. We are dependent on the Party Leader. We should not wait for too long until we get direction from the party leader yet we address our concerns through caucuses and the parliamentary group leadership,” said Mr Kibagendi.
Another ODM MP, who spoke in confidence, said the House leadership should be more accessible to MPs and call strategy meetings in good time. There are a number of MPs who targeted ODM Secretary General senator Edwin Sifuna for criticism, accusing him of high handedness.
“We have raised the issue with the party leadership since we don’t get an opportunity to give our views. He disregards members' opinion and whenever you miss rallies or a meeting, he sends show case letters without inquiring why the member was absent,” said a first term MP from ODM. “We have no problem being reprimanded by the party for genuine mistakes. What we are opposed to is the leadership of dictatorship.”
Mr Sifuna wrote to 28 MPs who missed the Second Reading vote, including the ODM party chairman John Mbadi and four who voted in support of the controversial Bill, going against the Azimio stand.
They also took issue with the leadership of Mr Wandayi and Minority Whip Junet Mohamed, saying that while they ably shine on the floor of the House when they articulate issues, they do not replicate the same in engaging members.
The lawmakers cited the legislation on the Finance Bill, 2023, which is now law, censuring the leadership for not whipping members but acting fast to take disciplinary action.
“The Kenya Kwanza side is well coordinated. Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah and Majority Whip Silvanus Osoro are always in the House, active on government issues and coordinating the members. Osoro even went to whip members who were in the restaurant doing the consideration of the Bill and ordered the closing of the restaurant,” he said and added, “When it came to Azimio, the Whip dropped a chat on the WhatsApp group asking members to avail themselves for the afternoon session in the chamber and did not follow up.”
The Sunday Nation has reliably learnt that the whipping was left to Mr Kibagendi, MPs Antony Oluoch (Mathare) and Lesuuda Naisula (Samburu West) on the day for reckoning. Others who sought anonymity accused Mr Mohamed of missing in action yet the Whip should be accessible, especially when key legislation is on the floor of the House.
“We did not elect them, so they are not serving us but other people who they believe gave them those positions,” said an MP.
Mr Wandayi, the minority leader, defended his leadership, telling Sunday Nation that the politics of Parliament shifts minute to minute or hour to hour on the decisions made on the floor of the House.
“We deal with situations as they come. Situations call for leadership intervention at individual or group level. They regularly come to my office to engage, get prompt response and I am always available,” Mr Wandayi said.
“Some of my colleagues are not familiar with the dynamics of legislation and they are surprised when we lose on the floor of the House. These things are bound to happen. Kenya Kwanza took our numbers through State machinery, we are not in any illusion that when it comes to votes, we will defeat them, but make a statement. Majority will have their way but the minority will have their say as we have ably amplified in the past. Winning or losing is not only through the vote.” Mr Wandayi said.
Mr Mohamed did not respond to our calls.
But some members backed Mr Mohamed, saying he rallied members yet some only honour Raila invites because they fear him, while others are outrightly defiant.
“They fear Raila. Wandayi called members for a meeting to take a position on the Bill before the debate and vote but they snubbed. Yes, Osoro went to the restaurant and Junet too. Some even ignored the 10 minutes bell for members to return to the chamber and were locked out,” said an Azimio MP.
Some Azimio MPs said on the Finance Bill, they were confused as initially, Mr Wandayi had stated during a meeting with the Azimio economic council last month that the coalition would not bring amendments to the Bill, only for the position to change later.
Majority of MPs said there was no plan from the minority leader on how to go about handling the Bill apart from the public pronouncements made by Mr Odinga.
Some of the MPs also said rejecting the Bill was an exercise in futility and therefore deliberately secured trips abroad while others were not interested in the voting exercise.
