Central Kenya MPs want Duale kicked out

The highest ranking Jubilee lawmaker tasked with rallying support for Government business in the National Assembly is in trouble with some of the ruling coalition’s MPs who want him sacked.

Not a stranger to controversy, Majority Leader Aden Duale is caught up in yet another storm that could unravel into one of the biggest fights within the governing coalition in Parliament.

Some Jubilee MPs have vowed to start the process of removing Duale from the leadership post in the National Assembly for failing to provide the list of Al Shabaab financiers and sympathisers he had promised the Government.

Eight MPs from Nyeri County yesterday gave Duale seven days to table the list he publicly declared he would produce, failure to which he will face a motion to discuss his conduct and in addition to remove him from the leadership of Jubilee.

They indicated that one of them would file the substantive motion when the National Assembly resumes its sittings on Tuesday.

The MPs accused their North Eastern counterparts, led by Duale, of failing to lead the fight against terror in their troubled region.

They charged that Duale should pay the ultimate political price for failing to show leadership in the fight against extremism in the region when Kenyans residing in the area were killed. But while contacted by The Standard, Duale said he did not wish to comment on the matter.

“I do not want to comment and I will not. I have many other things have to think about,” he responded.

During a press conference in Parliament yesterday, the MPs said one of them was preparing to present for approval by the Speaker a substantive motion to discuss the conduct of the Garissa Township MP, saying he had failed to marshal his colleagues to fight terror.

FROM LEFT: MPs Priscilla Nyokabi (Nyeri), Kanini Kega (Kieni) and Peter Weru (Mathira) address the media at Parliament Buildings yesterday. They vowed to start a process to sack Duale.

(PHOTO: MOSES OMUSULA/STANDARD)

“If Duale does not bring his list within the seven days, he will face a substantive motion with the aim of removing him from that position. It is our feeling that he should not continue holding that position when he has failed to lead the war against terror in North Eastern,” said Nyeri Woman Rep Priscilla Nyokabi. “We believe we will have the support of legislators from both Jubilee and Coalition for Reforms and Democracy to censure Duale. He made a commitment to Kenyans to provide the list and we have to make him honour that promise,” said Kieni MP Kanini Kega. Others are Peter Weru (Mathira), Kabando wa Kabando (Mukurweini), Esther Murugi (Nyeri Town), Mary Wambui (Othaya), Ndung’u Gethenji (Tetu) and Mutahi Kagwe (senator).

 Al Shabaab victims

The leaders said they were tired of burying victims of Al Shabaab attacks from their county, who were killed in Mandera, with Kega saying his constituency had lost 35 people in three attacks at quarries, yet the North Eastern leaders did not appear to show commitment to fight the vice.

Mathira MP Peter Weru said the leaders from North Eastern must employ similar vigour to that witnessed in Central in their fight against illicit alcohol, to fight terror in their region.

“Even when in Central we had the problem of Mungiki, it was leaders from the region who spearheaded the fight to eradicate the criminal gang. We do not see this similar vigour in our colleagues from North Eastern,” said Weru.

The MPs sensationally claimed that leaders from the troubled region appear to be in support of a sinister move by Al Shabaab and their sympathisers to flush out other Kenyans eking out a living in North Eastern.

But Kigumo MP Jamleck Kamau called on his colleagues to be calm and avoid politicising the terror war. He said the alleged motion could end up dividing the Jubilee MPs, which in turn may hurt Government business in the House.

He said by targeting Duale, the Central Kenya MPs risked losing the fight against terror.

“We risk losing sight of the real enemy. Our enemy is Al Shabaab, not any of these leaders, and certainly not Duale,” he said.