Senate: Speakers reject trip

Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka

Nearly three months after the controversial MP's trip Russia to watch Fifa World Cup, where they spent millions of taxpayer's money, a similar trip has been hovering.

The Standard Sports has established that Speakers Justin Muturi (National Assembly) and Ken Lusaka (Senate) cancelled MP's trip to Japan to watch the Women’s World Championships volleyball.

The MPs whose exact number is still unknown had deliberated the issue in the respective House Committees before seeking the speakers’ approval. In the World Cup trip, over Sh40 million was spent with the daily allowance ranging between $600 and $700.

Lusaka said he turned down their request even as his team are yet to table the Russia report.

“No senator is going to Japan. I didn’t approve,” Lusaka responded.

The five senators, who are members of the Labour and Sports committee chaired by Senator Johnston Sakaja (Nairobi) if allowed to travel, could have earned over Sh1.3 million each in allowances for two weeks.

Senators Irungu Kangata (Muranga), Christopher Langat (Bomet), Beatrice Kwamboka (nominated), Victor Prengei (nominated and Christine Zawadi (nominated) were to represent the committee in Japan.

The National Assembly also had its list, which Muturi is said to have rejected. All this come against a backdrop of the shame of ‘copy paste’ exposure of the committee report on the bench marking trip to the World Cup that was led by sports committee chaired by Vincent Munyaka (Machakos Town).

“The matter was brought up in the committee and we rejected the proposal. None of our committee members are going for the tournament. The information is untrue. I raised the same with the Speaker and he assured me he didn’t not approve the same,” said Sakaja. [Roselyne Obala and Jacob Ng'etich]