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Kenya: Boycott And Protests
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The Nation (Nairobi)
4 July 2008
Posted to the web 4 July 2008
Nairobi
Embattled Finance minister Amos Kimunya Thursday said he was still in office as MPs and other Kenyans continued demanding his resignation.
"I am serving the nation," Mr Kimunya told the Nation in a telephone interview.
But later in the day, MPs who have been calling for the formation of an opposition led a protest march in Nairobi as another group of demonstrators marched through the streets of Mombasa to demand that the minister resigns or be sacked over his role in the sale of the Grand Regency hotel.
And in Parliament, MPs started their boycott of all questions and motions related to the Ministry of Finance a day after passing a censure motion against Mr Kimunya.
Mr Gitobu Imanyara (Imenti Central, CCU) rose during question time to remind the Deputy Speaker that members would not entertain questions and/or motions related to the Treasury until the minister steps aside or is sacked.
A minister cannot be removed through a motion of no-confidence by Parliament.
Mr Kimunya said: "I am serving the nation from wherever I am now. Parliament... is not the appointing authority".
Meanwhile, the team led by Attorney-General Amos Wako questioned the National Security Intelligence Service director-general, Maj Gen Michael Gichangi, over claims that the agency pushed for the quick sale of the Grand Regency Hotel.
In the afternoon, Mr Kimunya went to State House to meet the President and left shortly before 3pm.
In another development, the Ministry of Lands has placed a caveat on the hotel, blocking any further transfers of the land on which Grand Regency stands. The caveat also blocks the new owners of the hotel from securing bank loans using the property as a security.
The principal registrar of titles, Ms Teresiah Mburu said: "This caveat forbids the registration of any dealing with the land absolutely".
The caveat was presented to the Commissioner of Lands on Tuesday.
On Thursday, Government spokesman Alfred Mutua issued a statement saying the move was taken to protect the property.
Dr Mutua said the caveat was called for by "the enormity of the matter concerning the Grand Regency Hotel" and was meant to protect the property until issues related to the sale are concluded. He said the Government would ensure "good relations with Libya" are not affected.
Lands minister James Orengo's revelations last week that the hotel had been sold to Libyan Arab African Investment Company Kenya Ltd sparked condemnation culminating in Wednesday's no-confidence motion.
The motion was moved by Ikolomani MP Bonny Khalwale who had earlier opposed Mr Kimunya's plan to tax MPs' allowances.
Although initial reports had indicated that the hotel had been bought by the Libyan Government, the embassy in Nairobi has since distanced itself from the deal, saying that they had not been involved at any stage.
On Thursday, the Cabinet committee chaired by Prime Minister Raila Odinga approved a report compiled by its sub-committee which was headed by Attroney-General Amos Wako.
The report proposed that Mr Kimunya, the Governor of Central Bank, Prof Njuguna Ndung'u, the Director General of the National Intelligence Services, Major General Gichangi and the secretary to CBK board, Mr Kennedy Kaunda Abuga, should step aside to pave way for investigations.
Mr Odinga said the report will be presented to the Cabinet whose meeting was scheduled for Thursday, but was put off for what Dr Mutua said was the busy schedule of the President.
Though the contents of the report had been widely publicised in the local media, Dr Mutua said it was yet to reach the Cabinet.
"The Government would like to inform the public that the report has neither reached the Cabinet nor has it received Cabinet attention," he said.
However, Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka told Parliament that President Kibaki had been briefed on the report and was even following the Wednesday proceedings of the House when Mr Kimunya was being censured.
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Dr Khalwale took the no-confidence motion to Parliament questioning the minister's roles in the sale of key public institutions.
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We Kenyans are at it again! Our unique characteristics? Melodrama and chicanery!Going by the hullabaloo on Grand Regency, you would think Honorable Kimunya has sold the entire Country to the Libyans! Those calling for him to resign or be sacked have their fellow(s) lined up to take over.Do you recall Finance ministry was one of the most coveted during coalition negotiations? Add to that Kimunya's very unpopular proposals to tax MPs's allowances, the back bencher's search for a reason to push for their Grand Opposition,Civil Society's justification to remain relevant,the media's lack of depth coverage of issues and tendency to... [Read Full Text]
where did my comments go?
I can't agree with you more. I was mad at kimunya first but when i saw the vluation of the hotel by 3 firms and the all valued it at below 30m dollars i thought otherwise. The earlier valuation of 31m dollars was just a polical statement at the time. Kimunya's crime is to say that the hotel has not been sold when it was the opposite. He might have gotten good money for it but the secrecy was is undoing. He should have learnt from the past experiences where by if a lie is being circulated about you and... [Read Full Text]
All the kikuyu ministers have supported kimunya and even sponsored demonstarations in his favour. so does it mean that theft and robbery of state assets if done by a kikuyu it is ok otherwise it is to be quickly prosecuted by ringeria. will kibaki also support kimunya's abuse of office? What messege will that send? that crime is ok so long as you are a friend of the president? What then is the purpose of having a judiciary when might and tribe is right? let all criminals out and revoke all laws because it seems that the law of... [Read Full Text]
Some people like you are just ‘jumbing’ onto a bandwagon without knowing its destination. Can you say the amount of money Kimunya stole? Anyone who listened to Hon Kimunya's defense in parliament should have changed their mind on his supposed guilt. As much as I support PNU, with all my heart I am against corruption and before Hon Kimunya's explanation, I was asking myself, why on earth Kimunya could do such a thing. I am now satisfied that the MPs who continue to pursue Kimunya are not interested in justice but have a personal political score. They forget one thing,... [Read Full Text]
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