AfricaPress-Kenya: Deputy President William Ruto will tomorrow host MPs allied to him to set the agenda of the National Assembly and Senate that will resume on Tuesday.
Ruto who has fallen out with his boss, President Uhuru Kenyatta, will use the meeting to plan how the MPs allied to him across the political divide will engage as a team in Parliament.
As part of checkmating each other, Ruto’s political arch-rival, ODM leader Raila Odinga, is expected in Kisumu for a meeting with the party leadership and professionals tomorrow.
Yesterday, former National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale told the Sunday Standard that over 156 legislators had confirmed attendance for Ruto’s meeting and more others were expected to respond.
Duale said they will use the meeting to build consensus on many national issues, including those affecting the “suffering Kenyans” across the country who are looking up to proper leadership.
“We will use the meeting to agree on common positions to take on the national issues that are afflicting Kenyans and particularly those hustling in every corner of the country. We will unite and endorse pro-people matters that we will conduct in the two Houses,” he said.
This is the third time Ruto is hosting MPs allied to him. The last was in early December when he hosted 170 leaders, including seven governors, 146 MPs and 17 senators to take a position on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).
The meeting came a week after Ruto had skipped the launch of collection of signatures for the Constitutional (Amendment) Bill 2020 at KICC, Nairobi.
During the meeting at Karen, Ruto and his MPs called for consensus on BBI and multi-choice referendum questions to coincide with the 2022 General Election.
They also demanded that the monies slotted for the referendum be re-channelled to economic recovery and the fight against Covid-19.
Ruto’s and Raila’s meetings come at a crucial time when county assemblies are debating and considering the BBI Bill before it is handed over to Parliament in April if it is passed by at least 24 counties.
ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna wrote to Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay and Migori counties, asking them to convene for a consultative meeting.
“You are hereby notified of a consultative meeting bringing together elected leaders, council of leaders, professionals and business people in the four counties to be held on Monday at Ciala Resort, chaired by Party Leader,” read Sifuna’s letter addressed to all governors, MPs and MCAs.
