Nairobi — Baringo Central MP Gideon Moi and Cabinet minister Raila Odinga are plotting to bring down the government of President Mwai Kibaki, Kabete MP Paul Muite claimed yesterday.

They are doing this by using their supporters to bring "unworkable motions (at the National Constitutional Conference) so as to precipitate chaos that would bring down the government," Muite, who chairs the Parliamentary Select Committee on the review, charged.

He said Moi was leading a group of Kanu hardliners to support contentious clauses in the draft constitution, with the sole objective of bringing down the government.

As for Raila, Muite said his "diehard" supporters were hell-bent on getting power through the backdoor.

Speaking during a press conference at the Bomas of Kenya, Muite said it was the Liberal Democratic Party diehards and Kanu hardliners who were opposed to the introduction of Bills on the review announced by Justice minister Kiraitu Murungi earlier in the week.

But in a quick response, Moi accused Muite of "hallucinating as usual".

"Muite is hallucinating as usual. That's all I can say," he said.

Eldoret North MP William Ruto said: "Muite is drunk. He must have taken something".

Ruto wondered how they were able to collect 100 signatures from MPs, if indeed it was just a minority that was opposed to the two Bills.

The Bills pave the way for the repeal of the current Constitution and the enactment of a new one by a referendum. They also spell out other details on the course that the review process is supposed to take.

The Bills are supported by those who say MPs can neither lawfully repeal the current Constitution nor enact a new one, and are opposed by those who see them as taking the review away from the Bomas conference and handing it to Parliament "Muite's statement is defeatist and he should concentrate on what brought him to Bomas," said Ruto.

Muite accused Moi and Raila or wanting the recommendations on an Executive Prime Minister passed the way they are.

The recommendations, which envisage a powerful prime minister - who is not elected - and a weak elected president are supported by LDP and vehemently opposed by the rival Narc faction, the National Alliance (Party) of Kenya.

Muite said if the clause was passed as it is, it was bound to cause chaos and that was what Moi and Raila wanted to capitalise on.

Muite said the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill 2004 and the Constitution of Kenya Review (amendment) Bill 2004 were not a creation of the Government but of the PSC and the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission.

The Government was only publishing the Bills but the initiators were the PSC and CKRC, he said.

He said from the PSC's deliberations, it was clear that the amendments as proposed in the two Bills enjoyed the support of most MPs.

"Both amendments to the Act will get the necessary support in Parliament," Muite said.

He said moderates within Kanu and the LDP would back the Bills.

Delegates had done a good job by completing 75 per cent of the task, he said, adding that the other 25 per cent required a lot of consensus building.

The MP said it was a pity that some of the Consensus Building Group's recommendations had been shot down.

The proposed amendments to Section 47 of the Constitution were intended to provide a consensus-building mechanism, he said.

"We want to reach out to those groups which have been unhappy with the review process such as Muslims, the civil society and Ufungamano," said Muite.

He denied it was the intention of the House to take over the review process, adding: "We are only trying to provide the constitution with a legal framework but the process will remain people-driven".

The PSC boss insisted that the chapter on devolution was unworkable because the country did not have the capacity to fund government at national, regional, district and locational levels.

As it is, no local authority is able to sustain itself, he said, adding: "The issue of devolution has to do with economics rather than the usurping of power".