NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 18 – 22 Jubilee Members of Parliament have dismissed threats by the opposition to file a motion to impeach President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Led by Senate Majority leader Kithure Kindiki, the legislators said the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy, CORD’s assertion that the President had violated the court’s ruling with regard to the teachers salary was far-fetched, adding that they would counter their motion with a vote of confidence in the President.
“In the event CORD proceeds with their misguided impeachment motion, we want to tell them that we are ready for them. We will turn the tables on them and convert the motion into a vote of confidence in the President,” said Kindiki.
The MPs said the opposition was being selfish by supporting the striking teachers, stating that they were using the opportunity to further their political agenda.
“By attempting to choreograph a motion to impeach President Uhuru Kenyatta, CORD is again displaying its trademark self centered, trivial, naive, hollow and unconstructive approach to yet another national issue,” he added.
ODM party chairman John Mbadi who has been tasked with moving the motion dismissed the Jubilee leaders as ‘full of jokes’ saying parliament should not waste parliamentary time discussing issue of no consequence.
“Our motion is based on a constitutional breach, what is theirs. This depicts their ignorance of the law,” he said.
He instead urged the MPs to advice the President to talk to teachers are come to a consensus instead of maintain a hard-line stance resulting in a crisis in the education sector.
They reiterated the government’s position that raising the salaries of teachers would not only increase the wage bill but cause other civil servants, police and prisoners to want more.
They insist wage bill currently is unsustainable for the country’s economy as it takes up 10 percent of the Gross domestic product.
The CORD leadership has expressed the intention to file a motion of impeachment of the President when the house resumes from recess in 10 days.
They said Kenyatta violated court orders which directed the government to pay teachers a 50-60 percent pay rise.
The government has already ordered a closure of both public and private schools countrywide as it seeks to resolve the crisis.
