Midiwo named, suspended from House for four sittings

By ALPHONCE SHIUNDU

@Shiundu

NAIROBI; KENYA: Speaker of the National Assembly Justin Muturi Tuesday suspended the Deputy Minority Leader Jakoyo Midiwo from the precincts of the House after a sensational two-round voting in which the Jubilee coalition won.

There were 108 MPs who voted to have Midiwo kicked out, and 91 MPs, who sought to have him continue with his duty in the House, on the first day of business after a six-week break. Two MPs –Majority Leader Adan Duale and nominated MP Amina Abdalla—abstained.

The suspension was because in the special debate to pull Kenya out of the Rome Statute, Midiwo had opposed the motion and called all the MPs on the government “thieves”.

As soon as the Speaker ordered Midiwo to walk out Tuesday afternoon, all the other MPs from the opposition walked out with him and went straight to the small-dining room –the media centre remains closed- where they addressed journalists.

Minority Leader Francis Nyenze and MP John Mbadi (Suba) termed the Speaker’s decision as “irregular” and “an outrageous experience”.

“CORD will stand firm on this matter and we will stand together with any member of the party who we feel has been unfairly treated. We will not stand any kind of intimidation. MPs from CORD have been victimised in the House. We will not take this lying down. We will fight for our rights in and out of Parliament buildings,” said Nyenze.

CORD argued that the Speaker, Justin Muturi, was partial in his rulings and undertakings in the House.

“He should not be a Jubilee coalition Speaker. He should be a Speaker of all MPs,” said Mbadi.

Another CORD MPP, who refused to speak on the record, said he will seek the support of the party to file a motion to discuss the conduct of the Speaker.

“The Speaker was reading an already prepared statement as he meted out the punishment. How did he know the outcome to get the time to prepare the statement? He should have asked Midiwo to substantiate, but anyway, why do you substantiate the obvious,” said Mbadi. “Suspension is a matter of last resort”.

Midiwo’s words which the Speaker cited were the reference to the MPs of the Jubilee coalition as thieves.

“A country that, elections after elections steals elections, robs the citizens of their right and then it says it was a free and fair election, free where? The Judiciary may have been reformed but the occupants of those offices are the same. They are as bad as you. They think like you. They are thieves like you. That is who they are and that is who you are. Yes, you are thieves. That is why the country is falling. You are thieves,” said Midiwo that day.

When he was asked to withdraw and substantiate that day, Midiwo declined and even denied uttering the words. He said it was from the CORD MPs as they stormed out of the House so that they avoid being party to the House resolution on ICC.

“Mr Speaker, Sir, as to Hon Members being thieves; I heard it coming from MPs who walked out. As to stolen elections, 70 per cent of this country believes they have been robbed of their elections twice and these are not the people who run elections. I am not the one who called my colleagues thieves. I said the elections have been stolen twice and I do not know these Hon Members to be the ones responsible for stealing the elections,” said Midiwo that day.

On Tuesday, the Speaker said Midiwo will have to bear the brunt because the abuse of his colleagues amounted to “gross disorder” and that his behaviour reduced the “dignity of the House”.

He said Midiwo ought to have withdrawn the statement or substantiated it, when he was asked to do so that day, instead of issuing a denial.

The Speaker said Midiwo will now not access the chambers of debate, the parliament buildings, and offices. All his allowances are also frozen. He will also be forced not to use his official car and also not access the services offered by his bodyguard, driver and other employees of Parliamentary Service Commission who serve him by virtue of his position as Deputy Minority Leader.

The Speaker ordered those words uttered by Midiwo to be expunged from the records of Parliament.

In reaction to Midiwo's suspension, an opposition MP, Peter Kaluma (Homabay Town) has vowed to file a motion to discuss the conduct of Speaker Justin Muturi, with intention of having him removed from the leadership of the National Assembly.

The MP made the threat shortly after a news conference of the MPs of the Coalition for Reform and Democracy, who all complained that Muturi was partial in the House.

Midiwo becomes the first MP in the 11th Parliament to be suspended from the House for gross disorder for a full four-sitting days.