CORD vows to block Jubilee's plan to penalise its legislators

The Opposition has vowed to block a plan by Jubilee legislators to kick out one of its members from the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC).

ODM’s national chairman John Mbadi (Suba) says that if Jubilee tries to remove Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay) from the PSC, the party will file an injunction in court.

However, as for T.J. Kajwang’ who is set to be axed from the Speaker’s Panel, there is little the Opposition can do, said Mbadi.  “In any case, sitting in the Speaker’s Panel is too much work for nothing.

“If they want to remove him, let us just say it is the price we pay for good governance. But for Wanga, if they try, we will go to court. As far as we are concerned, what she did is picketing and that right is guaranteed by the Constitution. We are very happy with her work,” Mbadi said.

Jubilee leaders Aden Duale (Garissa Township) and Jomo Washiali (Mumias East) had said Wanga would have to be removed from the PSC because by waving placards at President Uhuru Kenyatta during his state of the nation address  and defying Speaker Justin Muturi’s calls for order, she had brought the dignity of the institution of Parliament into disrepute.

Wanga said threats from the Jubilee brigade to kick her out were “meaningless” because she sits in the Commission by virtue of her membership in the Opposition.

“They say they want to remove me from the Commission? That is a small sacrifice to pay for changing a country. I am in the Commission by right,” she said.

Wanga waved a placard written ‘No more PR (public relations). Save the nation’.

Senator Moses Kajwang’, who was also thrown out of the joint sitting by Senate Speaker Ekwee Ethuro, said his decision to blow the whistle during the President’s  address was basically to express his outrage in the manner in which the Government is run, in light of increased corruption and ethnicity.

“The people are a frustrated lot. Our efforts to raise our concerns were ignored by the Speakers; it was as if we did not exist.

Extra-ordinary means

We recognised that the President’s address was important but we were also at liberty to raise objection before he commenced his speech,” said Kajwang.

Senator Kajwang was ruled out of order by Speaker Justin Muturi (National Assembly). But when Kajwang noted that Muturi was not his Speaker,   Ekwee Ethuro (Senate) stepped in.

Kajwang’ maintained that extra-ordinary means were sometimes necessary to drive a point home. This, he said, is why he  and his colleagues blew whistles to  grab public attention.

“We cannot cheat ourselves that we will have credibile polls when there have been cases of electoral malpractices and the person at the helm of the Independent and Electoral Boundaries Commission Chairman, Isaac Hassan, is still in office.”

Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi, who was kicked out for an entire session, has decided to remain tight-lipped over the matter. “I have no comment!” said Wandayi, whose suspension, unless reviewed by the Speaker, will last until February 2017.