Nasa rules out possibility of sharing power with Jubilee

Jubilee and Nasa parties have ruled out a coalition government as an appropriate arrangement to pull the country out of the ongoing political crisis, with both sides declaring there is no room for power-sharing.

“A coalition government is neither provided for nor contemplated in the 2010 Constitution. The same Constitution states that to alter the architecture of the Executive, Kenyans must be subjected to a referendum. As Jubilee Party a referendum is the last thing we want for Kenya,” Mr Aden Duale, the Majority Leader in the National Assembly said Sunday.

Echoing the stand taken by President Kenyatta on the poll being held within the timeliness set by the court, Mr Duale said Jubilee Party’s irreducible minimum is that the election must be held within 60 days as ordered by the Supreme Court on September 1.

Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen said the Nasa leadership was pushing for a caretaker government because it is “infatuated” with a coalition government.

COALITION

“There is no single sentence in the Constitution providing for a caretaker government and article 142 of the Constitution is clear that one president is only succeeded by another elected president,” he said.

But Nasa has similarly stated it is not interested in a coalition government.

“We don’t want a nusu mkate (shared) government. We know we will win in the election if they are held in a transparent manner. We don’t want to share. And if we lose fairly we will accept the results but we don’t want to go to an election where the referee is also a player in the field, we want a neutral one,” said Nasa presidential candidate Raila Odinga .

Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi on Sunday dismissed claims that by declaring there will be no elections, Nasa is pushing for a coalition government that will see Mr Odinga lead his troops to the government under a yet to be brokered political arrangement with President Kenyatta.

DEMANDS

“There is nothing like nusu mkate. What we want is for our irreducible minimums to be met. And they must be met or there will be no elections,” he said.

The political competitors are referring to the 2007 elections debacle where a peace deal brokered by the former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan led to the creation of the coalition government.

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Nasa has written to IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati, giving a list of demands that must be addressed before it participates in the repeat presidential election.

President Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto have accused Nasa of engineering an electoral crisis through its demands that cannot be met, warning they may lead to the postponement of the election and plunge the country into a situation where some kind of coalition arrangement will be contemplated.

INVITING TROUBLE

However, Wiper party acting secretary-general Pater Mathuki said Jubilee Party is the one forcing the country into a situation that could culminate in the formation of the coalition, warning that Nasa will not relent in demanding the presidency which Mr Odinga won on August 8.

By refusing a clean up the IEBC, Jubilee is inviting trouble to the country that may lead to formation of a coalition government, he added.

“All Nasa is asking for is a level playing field. But because Jubilee has refused to accept the verdict of the court, they are now using the same people at the commission who helped them rig to repeat the theft so that they are vindicated that they never lost on August 8,” he said.

He added: “Nasa will not let go of its rightful demand for the presidency for a coalition government. Wiper Party will not be party to that.”