Lusaka upholds Kang'ata's removal as majority whip

Kiambu Senator Kimani Wamatangi is now the official Senate Majority Whip.

This is after Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka on Wednesday upheld the removal of Irungu Kang’ata as majority whip citing that he was satisfied that due process was followed.

On Tuesday, the Jubilee Party has dropped Mr Kang’ata as the Senate Majority Whip amid a widening political rift between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto.

The decision was made during the party’s Senate Parliamentary Group meeting at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi. The meeting was chaired by Secretary General Raphael Tuju on behalf of President Kenyatta.

Late Tuesday, Speaker Kenneth Lusaka confirmed that he had received word from the party on the sacking of Mr Kang’ata and promised to communicate his decision to the House on Thursday afternoon.

The senator was convicted on two counts of insubordination and violation of the confidentiality code that guides party officials, Mr Tuju said.

“The meeting has resolved (to) replace him with Kiambu senator Kimani Wamatangi,” Mr Tuju announced after the meeting, which was marred by walkouts from Tangatanga (MPs allied to Dr Ruto) lawmakers. Mr Kang’ata has been in the cross-hairs of powerful individuals allied to President Kenyatta ever since he authored a no-holds barred letter to the effect that the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) was unpopular in Mt Kenya region.

Observers have always predicted that it was a matter of time before the axe fell on Mr Kang’ata after he authored the letter and leaked it to the media and the response came swiftly yesterday. Mr Tuju on Wednesday insisted that his removal had nothing to do with the contents of the letter, but the manner in which the senator chose to address the President.

“Whatever his opinion, he was within his right to express his views and not to be vilified. But we have issues in the way he did it,” Mr Tuju said at a press conference in which he was flanked by Senate Majority Leader Samuel Poghisio and Jubilee Parliamentary Secretary Adan Keynan. However, a number of senators allied to Dr Ruto opposed the move, saying that Mr Kang’ata’s removal was not done within the laid down rules as provided for in the Standing Orders.

Led by Elgeyo-Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen, the leaders, who had attended the meeting to voice their disapproval, said Mr Kang’ata was not notified of the reasons of his removal and given time to respond to such allegations.

They also questioned the manner in which the meeting was convened, saying that the agenda was not circulated and those pushing for his ouster had not collected signatures as required.