29 November 2009
Nairobi — It's going to be a Christmas of political intrigue, as MPs on Sunday stepped up the war of words over the conservation of Mau forest and deal-making ahead of an election which is still three years away.
In the Rift Valley, a group of MPs appeared to be canvassing support to bring a confidence against Prime Minister Raila Odinga, allegedly because of allowing the inhumane treatment of evictees and "dictatorial" leadership.
Odinga's critics
A grouping of Mr Odinga's critics appeared to take shape last week, when more than 50 MPs, among them Cabinet ministers, attended a fundraiser called by Agriculture Minister William Ruto, to collect money for evicted families.
On Sunday, Mr Odinga, who has accused those criticising him of being "rich landowners exploiting the poor for their own benefit", stuck to his guns, saying he is willing to pay any political price in the fight to conserve the Mau.
"Raila is here today but will not be there tomorrow. We have to cater for the future generation. The removal of settlers from Mau will continue even if it will make me go home. I am ready to come and sell mandazi (doughnuts) in Kibera. I will remain firm," he told a rally in his constituency.
In Rift Valley, MPs promised to bring a confidence motion against Mr Odinga "in the next 14 days". Konoin MP Julius Kones said "consultations between three leading political parties" were at an advanced stage for Parliament to be asked to declare it had no confidence in the Prime Minister.
Dr Kones said MPs "dissatisfied with the premier's leadership" will present National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende with a notice of the confidence motion in two weeks. He claimed that Kenyans were not happy with the manner in which the premier had handled the eviction of the Mau squatters and the only remedy to "clip his wings" was the vote of no confidence to serve as a lesson to other would be "heartless leaders" in future. Being removed
"It is absurd that Mr Odinga is happy to see squatters being removed from their farms without compensation or being resettled yet it had been agreed in the Cabinet and Parliament that either of the options had to be fulfilled before the evictions were carried out," Dr Kones insisted.
Mr Odinga, however, asked his critics to stop threatening that Rift Valley voters will not elect him again. The evictees voted for him, Mr Odinga said, and not those now claiming to be representing their rights. "Those shedding crocodile tears didn't get the votes from them. I am not inhuman. Yes, they voted for me but they must leave the forest," he said.
"If you have a problem with Raila, just say it. We promised to bring changes to this country and the position is still the same. We said let the work start now," he said.
The tension between sections of the Rift Valley political elite, whose political support was instrumental to the PM's electoral success, have been simmering since early last year, after Cabinet appointments were announced. Some MPs were not happy with the way the positions were distributed.
The PM has supported punishment for those who took part in the election violence, a position that some Rift Valley politicians view with suspicion. Their province was the worst affected by the violence. A section of local leaders and businessmen will likely face justice over their alleged role in masterminding and funding the slaughter of hundreds of innocent Kenyans.
But it is over the Mau that latent discontent has boiled over into open rebellion. The government has encouraged the first lot of squatters, who have no documents or claim to the land, to leave. The next phase, however, is likely to target those with title deeds, said to have been illegally obtained.
An inter-ministerial committee, overseeing the conservation of the forest, has endorsed the eviction of this second lot. Many powerful politicians in the Rift Valley are believed to own hundreds of acres under this phase. The 400-hectare Mau Forest, parts of which have been destroyed, is the country's most important water source. Its destruction has caused the drying up lakes such as Lake Nakuru and threatens important national assets such as the Maasai Mara Game Reserve.
But speaking to supporters in Kibera, his constituency, Mr Odinga said Mau was not only a national but international issue and that he was fighting for its restoration in the interest of future generations. More than 60,000 ha of the forest had been illegally given to individuals in the Moi regime, he said, adding that because of the ensuing deforestation many rivers originating from Mau were now drying up.
Parliament can vote, by simple majority, to declare that it has no confidence in a minister. In the past, ministers, such as former Finance minister Amos Kimunya, who have lost such a vote have been compelled to resign. MPs can also pass a similar motion against a president. If such a motion is passed, then the government falls and the country goes to election.
There has been some debate around what the constitutional position would be if MPs pass a motion of no confidence in the PM, since the National Accord, under which the office was created, does not seem to have anticipated such an eventuality. Speaking at a harambee (fundraising) for the construction of classrooms at Embomos secondary school in his constituency, Dr Kones said an MP from outside the Rift Valley will move the motion, so that Agriculture minister William Ruto will not be accused of engineering it. Cherengany MP Joseph Kutuny said MPs will censure Mr Odinga if the evictees are not compensated.
Simple majority
He, however, said they were waiting to see if the government keeps its promise to provide humanitarian assistance to the evictees before deciding whether to move against Mr Odinga. "Unlike the impeachment of the President, we will only require a simple majority to remove the PM," Mr Kutuny said.
Speaking in Mombasa, the Speaker denied that a confidence motion against Mr Odinga had been filed. "I have not received any document from MPs of no confidence in the PM and I will take required procedures once I receive it since it is their right if they feel to do so," said Mr Marende, adding that he is neutral.
Speaking on Sunday, Kuresoi MP Zakayo Cheruiyot claimed the confidence motion had "overwhelming support" from MPs, unhappy with the inhumane eviction of Mau squatters. He said the motion will be tabled by Mr Kutuny. MPs Kambi Kazungu and Dhado Godana said they will not support the motion if it is taken to Parliament.
"I have already received calls from certain MPs asking me if I will support it but I told them they are doing so because of their personal interests," said Mr Godana. On Sunday, Mr Odinga hit out at leaders building regional alliances, possibly in reference to the much talked about grouping of Rift Valley, Eastern and Central province politicians.
"We cannot develop if divided on tribal lines. You cannot say you can only work with certain tribes. This is cheap politics. Kenya will only be taken to greater heights by democrats. Kibera represents the face of Kenya. All communities are here. If I wanted to represent the Luo I would have vied in Kisumu or Bondo," he said.
He pointed the damage caused by the destruction of Mau, especially the drying of Lake Nakuru, the low water levels in Sondu River and risk of flooding in low-lying coastal areas. The removal of settlers in the Mau will continue, he vowed, and the next phase will be those with title deeds and who will be paid compensation.
Reports by Lucas Barasa, Geoffrey Rono and Anthony Kitimo
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2009 The Nation. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
All those who are in mau regardless of whoever he or she is must move out. Mau must be conserved at all costs. http://www.softkenya.com -- connecting Kenyans
see this site www.africafrique.com you will understand one or two things.
Thanks to our newly attained democratic space, we can with open mind reclaim the water tables back. Because we love humankind, not only women and children so much we have thought it prudent to conserve Mother Nature. No amount of arrogance should impede the process.
For the past four decades those who purport to love the environment have plundered our natural resources, the effect of which is palpable in reduction in the amount of precipitation. The reduction in precipitation is reflected in greater percentage of our rivers drying. Believe it or not very soon we shall not only have the dwindling number of flamingos in lake Nakuru but we shall have a dry lake altogether.
We can go on and on rumbling about the importance of environmental conservation but so long as there are pseudo experts out there ready to oppose every iota of effort devoted to environmental conservation, it won’t be long till we see the real negative impact of environmental degradation.
See all comments (4).
Active Discussions: Moi Faces Eviction From Forest Land