Busia County Senator Okiya Omtatah has outlined his next course of action should the opposition leaders land appointments as Cabinet Secretaries following their nominations by President William Ruto.
On July 27, the lawmaker stated that if the nominees are approved, there will be no minority or majority leaders to monitor the actions of the Executive.
As such, Omtatah has revealed plans to form a shadow cabinet that is going to keep the government in check.
“If that cabinet is established, some of us will be constrained to set up a shadow cabinet because we shall not be having a presidential system where there is a minority and majority side to check on the executive,” he said.
“We shall have a de facto parliamentary system where power emanates from the house and therefore the formation of the shadow cabinet will be established to check the excesses of the government and mockery.”
Omtatah said the Kenya Kwanza government is a self-serving government that does not address the concerns the Gen Zs and Kenyans in general have been raising and driving them to the streets.
About Shadow Govt
A shadow Cabinet is a team of senior spokespeople selected by the Leader of the opposition to mirror the Cabinet in government.
Each member of the shadow Cabinet is appointed to oversee a specific policy area for their party and to question and challenge their counterparts in the Cabinet.
This setup allows the official opposition to present itself as a credible alternative government-in-waiting.
Also Read: Fresh Hurdle for ODM Chiefs as Petition Seeking to Block Cabinet Appointments is Filed
This comes after Ruto nominated ODM Chair and Nominated MP John Mbadi to lead the Treasury ministry and appointed National Assembly Minority Leader and Ugunja MP James Opiyo Wandayi to oversee the Energy docket.
Additionally, he nominated former Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho to lead the Ministry of Mining and Blue Economy and former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya to head the Ministry of Cooperatives and MSMEs Development.
Omtatah Says Nomination was Unconstitutional
Omtatah had earlier expressed concerns over the move, describing President Ruto’s action as abandoning the Constitution he swore to protect upon assuming office.
“I am saddened by what has happened, especially the inclusion of Members of Parliament from the opposition party and leaders from an opposition party in that list,” said Omtatah.
“That to me states that the President has decided that he will govern this country without the Constitution that he swore to uphold, defend and promote when he was sworn into office.”
The Head of State while presiding over the commissioning of Kibung’a Kakimiki water project in Tharaka Nithi County on July 25, said he formed a broad-based government that would unite Kenyans and end the biased leadership.
He also stated that the new nominees will help the government in ensuring proper tax collection and the repayment of the country’s debts.
Also Read: Mudavadi Speaks on Ababu Namwamba After His Omission from Cabinet List
Petition Filed to Stop Nomination of ODM Members
On Friday, July 26, an activist moved to court seeking to block four members of the ODM from joining President William Ruto’s Cabinet, arguing that their nomination is unconstitutional.
Julius Ogogoh, through the Commission for Human Rights and Justice, filed the petition at the High Court, seeking orders to prevent Parliament from considering and vetting the four nominated ODM politicians.
Ogogoh further argued that the move would weaken the opposition and disable Parliament from playing its oversight role.
“Should any member of the parties forming the 1st respondent (Azimio) collation be nominated and successfully appointed into the cabinet, the opposition in the National Assembly stands to be conflicted and shall be acting in violation of Article 75 of the Constitution,” he said.
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