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Kenya: House Adjourns to Await New Cabinet
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The East African Standard (Nairobi)
26 March 2008
Posted to the web 25 March 2008
Nairobi
Leader of Government Business, Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, while moving the Adjournment Motion, said it was necessitated by several factors.
Kalonzo said some members' questions could not be answered since some portfolios in the Cabinet had not been filled.
He said a half Cabinet could not implement some of the legislations related to the peace accord.
The VP said President Kibaki and Prime Minister-designate Raila Odinga, were working to constitute the Cabinet.
The House Business Committee, which sat over lunchtime under the chairmanship of Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister, Ms Martha Karua, agreed to adjourn the House.
Seconding the Motion, Karua said there was need for the committee to generate House business.
She said they would speed up the drafting of Bills agreed at during mediation.
The minister called on MPs to help in identifying perpetrators of human rights violations.
Members took the cue in calling for reconciliation and justice, as debate on the Presidential Speech ended. Kibaki gave the speech at the State opening of Parliament on March 6.
The President captured the mood of reconciliation, which would be anchored in the Constitution through four Bills.
Responding to the Speech Motion, Kalonzo said time was ripe for a new constitutional dispensation.
"The constitutional moment is here with us," he said.
Kalonzo said post-election chaos was a lesson enough that Kenyans needed each other.
The debate was temporarily stopped to allow Parliament pass the National Accord and Reconciliation Bill and the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill. The Bills formed the basis of a power-sharing deal.
The President also asked MPs to give Ethnic Relations Bill, and Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Bill priority.
Kibaki and Raila will jointly tour Rift Valley Province this week.
The visit is part of the reconciliation efforts following last month's peace deal. It will be the first time the two leaders share a public platform outside Nairobi since last year's election, which plunged the country into a crisis.
Kalonzo made the announcement on the tour in Parliament on Tuesday when he responded to members' concerns over problems farmers faced.
"This week, President Kibaki and Prime Minister-designate, Mr Raila Odinga, will assure the displaced people that calm has returned and they can go back to their homes," Kalonzo said.
"I hope we can all join the two during the visit," added the VP.
The two leaders are expected to address the thorny issue of land that led to the eviction of thousands from the region.
The violence that gripped the country following the disputed presidential elections killed more than 1,000 people and uprooted more than 500,000 from their homes.
Farmers' concern
Kalonzo said the region was the backbone of agriculture and Kibaki would address farmers' concerns, including the high cost of farm inputs such as fertiliser. The VP was responding to a question by Dr Simiyu Eseli (Kimilili, Ford-Kenya) who sought to know what measures the Government had taken to cushion farmers against high costs of farm input.
Eseli accused the Government of playing "Russian roulette" with the future of the country, saying high prices of farm inputs would discourage farming and lead to food shortage.
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But Kalonzo announced that Sh1 billion had been set aside in an emergency kitty to cushion farmers from the high costs of farm inputs.
This included Government credit worth Sh850 million given to the National Cereals and Produce Board to buy fertiliser to stabilise prices.
In addition, Sh294 million from the 2KR Japanese Grant Counterpart Fund would be used to provide farmers with fertiliser and seed maize, added the Kalonzo.
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