Oburu Odinga among legislators lined up for Jamhuri Day State awards

An MP who was hounded out of a parliamentary watchdog committee amid a cloud of graft allegations and the chairman of a committee that is being investigated for corruption are among 20 nominees that Parliament wants President Uhuru Kenyatta to award with national honours on Jamhuri Day.

The list also has staunch Jubilee supporters and vocal opposition MPs.

The Parliamentary Honours Advisory Committee has also handpicked nine senators, including opposition lawmakers and two staff of Parliament to get the State recognition as Kenya marks 52 years of independence. All the lawmakers will be awarded Chief of Burning Spear, First Class.

Nominated MP Oburu Odinga, the elder brother of Opposition leader Raila Odinga, is also in the shortlist for the awards.

The chairman of the National Assembly's Agriculture Committee Mohamed Adan Nooru (Mandera North) and Ms Cecily Mbarire (Runyenjes) are those lined up for the award.

The whole Agriculture Committee was in the President's list of shame that was tabled in the House, and so was the Public Accounts Committee where Ms Mbarire served as the vice chairperson to Ababu Namwamba. Mbarire was among those who were kicked out of the committee, but she pleaded her innocence.

Nooru had also been mentioned in the Agriculture Committee's sugar investigation but the allegations were withdrawn. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission is yet to clear the investigations against the two parliamentary committees.

Nearly all the senators who are being awarded, save for Sen. Boy Juma Boy (Kwale), are chairpersons or vice chairpersons of the Senate Committees. They include Lenny Kivuti (Embu, Land and Natural Resources), Boni Khalwale (Kakamega, County Public Accounts and Investments), Billow Kerrow (Mandera, Finance, Commerce and Budget), Kipchumba Murkomen (Elgeyo Marakwet, Devolved Government), Daniel Karaba (Kirinyaga, Education), Fatuma Dullo (nominated, National Security and Foreign Relations).

Migori Senator Wilfred Machage, who sits in for the Senate Speaker Ekwee Ethuro whenever the Speaker and his deputy Kembi Gitura are away, is also lined up to receive the award.

In the National Assembly, the MPs who have been listed are Gonzi Rai (Kinango), Mohamed Shidiye (Lagdera), the chairman of the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee Samuel Chepkonga (Ainabkoi), Yusuf Chanzu (Vihiga), Joseph Lekuton (Laisamis), Eseli Simiyu (Tongaren, Olago Aluoch (Kisumu West) are also in the list of 20.

Chepkonga and Murkomen are staunch loyalists of the ruling Jubilee Coalition, and they are key in the United Republican Party's plot to save Deputy President William Ruto from the case of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Murkomen is vocal in the so-called prayer rallies, while Chepkonga is poised to lead a special committee to investigate how the Commission of Inquiry into Post-Election Violence (the Waki Commission) did its job eight years ago.

The Director of Legislative and Procedural Services, Mr James Mwangi, will receive Elder of the Burning Spear, Second Class while the Senate Speaker's office assistant Josephine Okoth, will get a Head of State Commendation in the civilian division.

The public has been asked to write to the secretaries of the joint honours committee if they have any objections or views for or against the nominees getting these awards by Wednesday next week.