Jubilee expels six nominated senators over 'disciplinary violations'
The purge against Deputy President William Ruto's allies in Jubilee Party continued Monday after it expelled six nominated Senators over “disciplinary violations”.
The move on Monday followed deliberations by the party’s National Management Committee (CMC) on reports submitted by the disciplinary committee.
The six are Isaac Mwaura, Millicent Omanga, Mary Seneta, Falhada Dekow, Naomi Waqo and Victor Prengei.
In a statement, Jubilee Secretary-General Raphael Tuju said the six appeared before the committee in 2020 and earlier this year on “disciplinary violations as per Article 13 of the party’s constitution”.
Ms Omanga, Ms Seneta, Ms Dekow, Ms Waqo and Mr Prengei are accused of skipping the State House Senate Parliamentary Group meeting convened by President Uhuru Kenyatta in May last year.
Mr Mwaura, who faced the disciplinary committee last week, is accused of disloyalty to the party and advocating for the interests of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), associated with Deputy President William Ruto.
Nominated Senator Victor Prengei gestures as he faces Jubilee Party's disciplinary committee at its in Nairobi on May 27, 2020 for snubbing a State House meeting convened by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Authorities informed
Mr Tuju further told the Nation that the NCM, sitting Monday, acted on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC) as per the party’s constitution.
The Jubilee constitution states that the “NMC is mandated to act on behalf of the NEC on urgent matters, where in its opinion, the NEC cannot be sufficiently convened to undertake such urgent decisions.”
Mr Tuju said the NMC relied on Article 7 (2A) of the constitution in taking the action against the senators.
“The expulsions are with immediate effect and have been communicated to the Senate and Registrar of Political Parties,” he said.
“The affected senators are at liberty to exercise their right of appeal.”
Both the Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka and Registrar of Political Parties Anne Nderitu confirmed they were aware of the notices but had not seen the letters from the party expelling the lawmakers.
“I have been informed the letters are on the way but I have not seen them because I was not in the office today,” Mr Lusaka said.
Ms Nderitu also said she was out of office the whole of Monday and could neither confirm nor deny the letters had been submitted.
Nominated Senator Millicent Omanga speaks at House of Hope Church in Kayole, Nairobi, on January 10, 2021.
Omanga's reaction
Ms Omanga said she had not received communication on the expulsion but promised a fight back through the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal.
She also revealed that she had not been invited to a meeting of the Jubilee senate Parliamentary Group that will take place at the KICC in Nairobi on Tuesday mornin.
“I am only seeing all these on social media. I have not received communication of any kind from the party. That is what has become of the party’s mode of operations,” she said.
“These are the occupational hazards in politics,” Ms Omanga said.
Kang'ata's case
Meanwhile, there were also indications that Senate Chief Whip Irungu Kangáta could be on the chopping block on Tuesday.
The conduct of the Murangá senator will be a subject of discussion at the PG meeting.
Last May's PG meeting at State House, that is now haunting the five senators, was used for ratify the removal of Dr Ruto’s allies, Senator Kipchumba Murkomen and his Nakuru counterpart Susan Kihika from Leader of Majority and Majority Whip positions respectively.
They were replaced by West Pokot Senator Samuel Poghisio and his Murang’a counterpart Irungu Kang’ata.
Mr Kangáta’s position is also hanging in the balance following his controversial anti-Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) letter he authored to President Kenyatta last year.
The senator took to his Tweeter account to lament the move even before his ouster.
“The PG at KICC- Courage brother do not stumble, though thy path be dark as night. There is star to guide the humble, take it to the Lord in prayer,” he wrote.
Senate Deputy Majority Whip, Ms Farhiya Haji, convened the meeting on behalf of President Kenyatta.
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