4 October 2008
Nairobi — A showdown looms between the Executive and the Legislature when Parliament reconvenes on Tuesday after a two-month break.
The two arms of government held two parallel investigations into the controversial sale of the Grand Regency Hotel (since renamed Grand Laico Hotel) to a Libyan firm, which led to the passing of a motion of censure against the then Finance minister Amos Kimunya, forcing him to step aside thereafter.
Political future
Mr Kimunya's political future hangs in the balance as the 10th Parliament resumes and he comes face to face with his colleagues who censured him over the controversial hotel sale. He was forced to resign thereafter to allow for investigations into his role in the sale.
President Kibaki then formed a commission of inquiry headed by retired Chief Justice Majid Cockar.
For the past two months, the Cockar judicial commission has held public hearings in Nairobi and investigating claims by Lands minister James Orengo, who blew the whistle on the deal.
The public hearings were concluded on Friday last week and the commission is expected to present its findings early next month.
The report will determine whether President Kibaki will re-appoint the former Finance minister or assign him another cabinet post.
Another investigation into the sale was conducted by the parliamentary committee on finance, planning and trade committee, chaired by Nambale MP Chris Okemo.
The parliamentary committee's report was finalised and was ready to be tabled by Mr Okemo three months ago, but was held back in the last minute as it had not been made available early enough to parliamentary staff to make copies for all the 222 members.
On Saturday, Mr Okemo, who is also a former Finance minister, told the Sunday Nation that he plans to table the report this week after getting the green light from the House Business Committee, chaired by Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka.
The House committee is mandated to set the agenda of the House.
The question lingering in the minds of most MPs is that in case the two reports absolve Mr Kimunya and he is re-appointed to his old docket by the President, what effect will the censure motion have on his working relations with them?
The motion was moved in July by Ikolomani MP Bonny Khalwale and forced Mr Kimunya to step aside as Finance minister after MPs and a cross-section of leaders demanded that he clear his name over the sale.
But before throwing in the towel, the Kipipiri MP organised a public rally in his constituency and invited his supporters in the Cabinet and Parliament to defend him, saying he would rather die than resign.
However, pressure mounted on him forcing him to call a press conference two days later to announce his painful decision to step aside and allow an independent body to investigate the Grand Regency Hotel sale.
Most assertive
The members of the 10th Parliament have so far shown that they are the most assertive and independent lawmakers that the country has seen so far, thanks in part to the absence of an official opposition in the House.
As Parliament reconvenes in the next 48 hours, Mr Kimunya's fate lies in the hands of the President, who will use the two reports to make his decision on who will occupy the powerful office of minister for Finance.
Mr Kimunya took over the Finance docket from former Imenti North MP David Mwiraria in 2006, who was also forced to resign after a three-year stint at the Treasury over the shady Anglo Leasing security contracts.
But Mr Mwiraria and his then Justice and Constitutional Affairs counterpart Kiraitu Murungi read the writing on the wall and stepped aside before MPs could pass a vote of no confidence against them.
However, President Kibaki re-appointed Mr Mwiraria and Mr Murungi after six months to head the Environment and Energy ministries, respectively, after a probe team cleared them of any wrongdoing.
Indeed, the die has not been cast. For in politics, "slipping is not falling" as former Cabinet minister Paul Ngei once remarked in his hour of political uncertainty.
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