Muturi rejects attempts to punish CORD MPs for whistling in Parliament

Speaker Justin Muturi

Speaker Justin Muturi has rejected an attempt to punish five CORD legislators who heckled President Uhuru Kenyatta during the State of the Nation address on March 31. 

Muturi told Jubilee lawmaker Anthony Kimaru Mutahi (Laikipia East), who wanted the five MPs 'named', parliamentary parlance for punishment that comes with an automatic three-day suspension will mean that he will be punishing the lawmakers twice for the same offence.

Mutahi had pinpointed MPs John Mbadi (Suba), Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay), Tom Kajwang’ (Ruaraka), Simba Arati (Dagoretti North) and Fred Outa (Nyando) as MPs who “misbehaved” when they pulled out whistles and blew them inside the debating chamber and in the process disrupted the presidential address for 30 minutes.

“Naming them afresh will be subjecting them to double jeopardy, for us to continue, I consider it fair that what happened on that day was sufficient,” said Muturi.

“Sometimes I think it is good to leave these things to the conscience of the individual members”.