Senator Kithure Kindiki slams Governor Mutua’s letter to Ethuro

NAIROBI: Senators have dismissed the apology letter written by Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua to Speaker Ekwee Ethuro.

Dr Mutua angered senators after he failed to recognise the presence of the Speaker during last week's burial of Nairobi Senator Mike Mbuvi Sonko's father.

Senate Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki, who was ordered by the House to provide a statement by Wednesday on why Mr Ethuro was embarrassed and humiliated, described Mutua's letter to Ethuro as a public relations stunt.

Mr Kindiki said that the matter did not warrant such a letter. He instead asked Mutua to respond to specific questions on the protocol hitch.

"The matter was placed before me and I have a duty to give a statement to the House on Wednesday. I have since written to  Mutua and other people who were involved and I expect their response," Kindiki said.

Mutua on Friday wrote to Ethuro apologising for the protocol hitch saying it was not meant to embarrass the Speaker.

"Mr Speaker, I kindly request that you inform senators that this was purely a human error and no ill motive was intended on my part," said Mutua, in a letter also copied to Kindiki and his minority counterpart Moses Wetang'ula.

He explained that by the time he noted the mistake, the President was already up and moving towards the podium.