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Kenya: Cabinet Talks Deadlock
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The Nation (Nairobi)
29 March 2008
Posted to the web 28 March 2008
Samwel Kumba And Sam Kiplagat
Nairobi
President Kibaki and ODM leader Raila Odinga on Friday appeared to be moving even further apart on sharing Cabinet positions and the number of ministers to be named in a grand coalition government.
The two failed to agree on whether the country should have a 44-member Cabinet or the number should stand at 34.
But both leaders were quick to point out that the Cabinet-making talks had not collapsed and the two sides would continue consulting though no new date had been set for their next meeting.
After meeting for about 1 hour and 20 minutes at the Office of the President in Nairobi's Harambee House, the two failed to emerge with the much-anticipated list of new Cabinet ministers.
Instead, Mr Odinga's spokesman, Mr Salim Lone, asked journalists to attend a news conference at Pentagon House, the ODM headquarters .
The Presidential Press Service, on the other hand, issued a four-sentence press statement, saying President Kibaki and Mr Odinga had "reviewed proposals on the formation of a Cabinet, as agreed during their last meeting".
The PPS statement added: "During the meeting it was agreed that there was need for further consultations. The consultations are also focusing on the implementations of the National Accord and Reconciliation Act that was passed by Parliament and assented to by President Kibaki."
Mr Odinga said apart from the size of the Cabinet and portfolio-sharing, other contentious issues were ODM's participation in all political appointments in the Civil Service, including permanent secretaries and diplomats.
He said during a news conference: "In our meeting we revisited the issue of size of the Cabinet and the allocation of portfolios to ODM and PNU. But we have been unable to reach a consensus so far."
Added Mr Odinga: "A bloated government, I am afraid, is not good for the country. We would like to see a lean Cabinet, preferably of 34 ministries, because the President has already appointed 17 ministers."
ODM Pentagon members Musalia Mudavadi, Joe Nyagah and Najib Balala attended the press conference.
Mr Odinga maintained that a lean Cabinet is necessary because the government needs to contain public expenditure with the prevailing poverty and deprivation.
He said the government side preferred to retain the most important ministries.
"This is contrary to the cardinal principle of power-sharing that is at the heart of the new arrangements. The National Accord and Reconciliation Act 2008, specifies, in Section 4 (3) that, "the coalition government shall at all times reflect the relative Parliamentary strength of the respective parties and shall at all times take into account the principle of portfolio balance," he reiterated.
ODM seemed to officially stake claim to involvement in all forms of government.
Mr Odinga said: "The government is not just the Cabinet. There is the bureaucracy. As you are aware the permanent secretaries are all the time appointed afresh whenever a Cabinet is reshuffled. So nobody should claim that these are professional and so on. We want to be involved in appointment of PSs, diplomats and all other political appointees including heads of parastatals and their chairs."
He was still optimistic that the talks would continue arguing that it took over a month for Germany to strike a deal and form a coalition government. It is better to do it once and do right other than do it wrongly because of haste.
Asked about the haggling over the ministry portfolios, Mr Odinga was categorical that it was about service to the people of Kenya.
"Since we are going to be part of the government, we would like to have a say in key ministries. We just don't want to be passengers to the government," he said.
Insisting that talks had not broken down, the ODM leader said each side has its demands and goals adding that what was lacking was consensus.
"As discussions continue we must keep in mind that the public would like to see us eliminate wasteful public expenditures, and a bloated cabinet would portray us as disconnected from the mood of the country and set a bad example for curtailing other wastefulness," said Mr Odinga.
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He reiterated that in signing the agreement of principles that was part of the Act, he and President Kibaki agreed that they would be stepping forward together, as political leaders, to overcome the current crisis and to set the country on a new path.
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We are ready for the ngood of the country to let ngo of our claim to power over the rest of kenyans
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