Cord drops Onge’ra from Pan African Parliament list

Cord MPs yesterday replaced nominated Senator Janet Ong’era with Garissa County Representative Shukran Gare to represent the country in the Pan African Parliament. The amendment was hurriedly brought to the House by Wajir County MP Fatuma Ibrahim and was seconded by Ndhiwa MP Agostino Neto.
The Senate had approved Senators Kipchumba Murkomen (Elgeyo Marakwet) Ong’era (nominated), and members of the National Assembly Zakayo Cheruiyot (Kuresoi South), Rachel Shebesh (Nairobi County Women’s Representative) and Millie Mabona (Mbita) to sit in the Pan Africa Parliament. When the list was first brought before the House in September, hostile MPs defied Speaker Justin Muturi and Majority Leader Adan Duale and forced the withdrawal of the names of Senate nominees.
The MPs said Senate had no business sending representatives to the body, even if the protocol that sets up the Pan Africa Parliament demands representation from both Houses in a bicameral setting. But yesterday, the Speaker ruled that the House would have to bring a new list after six months, should the names be rejected again.
Kiharu MP Irungu Kang’ata and Otieno Wandayi (Ugunja), rejected the list on the basis that it failed to address regional balance. When the names came to the House the first time, the MPs insisted that as per the Constitution, the “senators do not represent people, but regions”.
They were piqued that the opposition had picked a nominated senator to sit in the Pan African House. “When you are a nominated Member of the Assembly, is this a body we send you to? We have enough people elected to the National Assembly and in the Senate to represent the people of Kenya in the Pan African Parliament,” argued Peter Kaluma (Homa Bay Town).
Duale told MPs they should not delay the matter further because the Pan-Africa Parliament urgently required Kenyan MPs in the House. When the motion was brought to the House, Suba MP John Mbadi proposed that Ong’era be dropped and replaced by Daniel Maanzo (Makueni). He argued women and the Senate had been represented. During debate on the motion, leadership wrangles within the Cord coalition played out when one of its members dismissed it as disgruntled, and out to ruin the minority.