National Assembly's Health team coup aborts

Parliamentary Health Committee Chair Rachel Nyamai addreses committee attended by Attoney General Githu Muigai and NHIF Acting CEO Geoffrey Mwangi. February 25th,2016. Photo/Elvis Ogina (Nairobi)

An attempt to kick out the National Assembly Health committee over the alleged Sh5 billion Health ministry scandal has flopped.

The scheme suffered a blow after some of those said to have supported the ouster petition disowned it.

Chair of the committee Rachel Nyamai (Kitui South) and her deputy Robert Pukose (Endebess) survived the ouster plot amid political intrigues, with Karani Wachira (Laikipia West), who is said to have been entrusted with the list of MPs who had signed to kick out the two, saying he was unaware of the plan.

The coup plotters, who are unhappy with Nyamai (pictured) and deputy's leadership over alleged high handedness and complicity in the scandal's cover up, were caught flat-footed when the Jubilee-allied MP denied attending a meeting last Thursday where the committee secretariat was made aware of the no-confidence motion.

"On Thursday, I was in my constituency dealing with security matters. I'm not aware of the list. If there were resolutions, it is the members who were there who can speak about it. I was not in the Thursday meeting," said Dr Wachira who received support from Kamande Mwangi (Maragua).

"I never appended my signature to any list. So the purported meeting was not there," said Kamande.

Wachira was alleged to be one of the originators of the plot. Yesterday there were claims that Jubilee MPs, who initially supported the petition, were whipped to frustrate the plan.

Divisions in the committee revolve around plans to grill key suppliers named in an internal audit of the Ministry of Health. Renegade MPs accuse the committee's leadership of working at the behest of outside forces to frustrate the plans.

"The truth is that there was a list. Honour calls upon us to say that. We must realise that we are dealing with people's health. Dr Pukose, we cannot work without honour. If people have changed their minds, that is also honourable," said James Nyikal (Seme).

"Last week, we had a meeting and the clerks were present. The clerks were notified of the motion and the only thing remaining was to send the matter to the Clerk of the National Assembly. That is why we came here knowing that the agenda is passing a vote of no confidence in our Chair. If that still stands, then we can proceed," said Fred Outa (Nyando), before it became apparent that their plan had failed.