House committee wants two MPs reprimanded for fighting in Parliament

A House committee has recommended that a reprimand be issued to two MPs who fought each other within Parliament Buildings on July 2, allegedly insulting and roughing up each other.

The Committee of Privileges wants Teso North MP Arthur Odera and his Sirisia counterpart Major (Rtd) John Waluke reprimanded by Speaker Justin Muturi for misconduct.

At the same time, the committee has decided to spare MPs Alex Kosgey (Emgwen, URP) and Raymond Moi (Rongai, Kanu), who had petitions against them alleging they had missed more than eight sittings and were therefore liable to lose their seats as per the Constitution.

Mr Odera complained to the committee in a letter on July 3 that he had been confronted by Maj Waluke the previous day as he left the chamber, who called out to him, “Wee”, but was ignored.

“I attempted to walk on but he kept nudging me with his shoulder and pulling my arm,” he said in the letter. “I kept trying to get away from him, but he kept following me and pulling me back. At one point he attempted to hold my neck but I pushed his hand away.”

The two MPs’ quarrel arose after their agreement to have a shared road in their constituencies graded went sour; Maj Waluke would hire the grader and Mr Odera would pay for the fuel.

Maj Waluke said in his letter to the committee that Sh3.5 million was spent on that job while Mr Odera said he expected that he would have to pay, through the Constituency Development Fund, a maximum Sh180,000.

LOWERED DIGNITY OF THE HOUSE

After that, their relationship deteriorated from insults at rallies to the point of the confrontation in Parliament where the physical attacks, insults and attempts to embarrass each other took place.
The committee however decided that whatever the circumstances, the two MPs lowered the dignity of the House.

“The committee recommends that the two members tender apologies to the House and be formally reprimanded by the Speaker in accordance with the Speaker’s Rules and the Privileges Act,” the committee has recommended in a report.

On Mr Kosgey, the committee decided that he did not breach the Constitution, which states that a member who loses eight sittings in a session loses their seat, because there were inconsistencies in the registration system.

The official record shows that Mr Kosgey attended 45 out of 114 sittings in the first session, and therefore missed 69 sittings last year and has so far attended 45 out of 52 sittings this year, and therefore missed seven.

The committee however concluded that the manual attendance registrar used in the first session was poorly handled and the records are inconsistent, meaning it cannot be trusted.

Charles Sang, a voter from Emgwen, had petitioned to have his MP removed on the basis of his missing House and committee sittings.

In his defence, Mr Kosgey had argued that the procedure for removing him was initiated casually, only the Speaker could tell whether he missed sittings and that absence from the chamber shouldn’t be taken to mean that he has been absent since he has been working in committees and in the constituency.

On Mr Moi, son of retired President Daniel arap Moi, the committee doubted the veracity of the petitioners after discovering that the handwritings and signatures of the petitioners for his removal were similar.

“The petitioner informed the meeting that he was being facilitated by a group of professionals from Rongai Constituency, some of whom contested but lost in the last General Election,” the committee reported.

Mr Moi, who was recorded to have missed 10 sittings in the first session and three in the current one, was able to prove that he was not absent from two sittings last year.