Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro has been suspended from the National Assembly for five sitting days after he refused to withdraw allegations that top government officials pressured state bodies to buy shares in Kenya Pipeline Company.
Speaker Moses Wetangula said Nyoro was guilty of grossly disorderly conduct after a brief debate on Wednesday.
Nyoro had accused ‘the high office’ of contacting executives of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), Public Service Superannuation Fund (PSSF), Kenya Re and other government agencies to buy shares in the Kenya Pipeline Company initial public offering, which he said faced imminent closure on Friday.
On resuming business on Wednesday, both the Majority and Minority leaders asked Nyoro to either provide evidence or withdraw the allegations he made in the House.
Minority Leader Junet Mohamed pressed the Kiharu legislator to either produce evidence or apologise.
“There are matters that you can say at funerals and others that you can say on the floor of the House. But if you say something on the floor of the House, you must substantiate… What we are asking is for him to table evidence to show that indeed those phone calls were made. If he has none, he should just apologise,” Junet stated.
Majority Leader of the National Assembly Kimani Ichung’wah also challenged Nyoro to produce evidence and moved to have the remarks struck from the record. He defended the Kenya Pipeline Company investment, saying PSSF had made a 5.1 per cent gain on its investment as of June 30.
“Ndindi Nyoro is misleading the House further, because even the document… shows and reports that as of 30th June, at the end of the financial year, when PSSF invested in KPC, they had made a 5.1% gain on that share,” Ichung’wah said.
Ichung’wah also argued that the KPC investment by PSSF was made strictly within statutory guidelines and based solely on commercial viability.
Speaker Wetangula ordered Nyoro to either substantiate the allegations or withdraw them and apologise.
Nyoro refused, insisting that his allegations were truthful and that he could not apologise for telling the truth.
He asked for an extension of two weeks to provide evidence, but Speaker Wetangula denied the request, saying the remarks had already been struck from the record.
The Speaker then imposed what he described as “the most lenient of the provided punishments.”
“In that case, Honourable Ndindi, you are now guilty of grossly disorderly conduct, and I’ll give you the most lenient of the provided punishments and exclude you from the House for five sitting days. You are now a stranger in the House…” the Speaker said.
Nyoro was ordered to leave the chamber immediately.
Reacting to the decision, the MP said it was unfortunate that matters of political interest were being raised in the House. He argued that political leaders should not dictate how independent funds, institutions and government agencies spend or invest public resources.
He also said he did not have enough time to present his case through the avenues available to him.
– John Murunga
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