A heated confrontation rocked the Senate on Tuesday after Migori Senator Eddy Oketch was ordered out of the chamber by Speaker Amason Kingi during a dispute over the Division of Revenue Bill.
The standoff began when Oketch objected to the Bill’s reappearance on the order paper, insisting that Senators had not been properly briefed on how the decision had been reached before Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot moved it for debate.
“I beg that this Bill should be put aside, we must be briefed even in a kamukunji how a decision was made for this Bill to come back into the order paper, Mr Speaker. Otherwise, we are not going to progress as a House…you cannot explain to us while moving the Bill! We cannot take it! That is disrespect to the House and me,” said Oketch.
Tensions escalated as Cheruiyot accused the Migori Senator of disrupting proceedings while he attempted to table the motion. He maintained that he had shown restraint when others spoke and expected similar respect in return.
“I don’t want to lose my cool, Mr Speaker. I don’t know how to shout back at Senator Eddy…I didn’t complain about the Nairobi Senator because I didn’t hear him say anything, but it is Senator Eddy who is becoming unruly this afternoon and I don’t find that to be fair,” said Cheruiyot.
“In this House, we respect each other as colleagues and when he rose to speak, I listened to him; I did not necessarily agree with what he was saying but I calmly sat back and listened to him.”
Cheruiyot further defended his push to proceed with the Bill, stressing the urgency of securing increased allocations for counties.
“My particular interest in this Bill is seeing the Bill that is proposing Ksh.420 billion when we know we need to push the National Assembly to secure a minimum of Ksh.450 billion for our counties, and that takes time and that is why I want us to begin this process,” he stated.
Despite repeated interventions from the Speaker, Oketch continued to interject, prompting Kingi to take disciplinary action.
“Order, Senator Eddy. You have made your point, allow the Majority Leader to make his,” said Kingi.
When the interruptions persisted, the Speaker ordered his removal.
“Senator Eddy, I gave you an opportunity, and you spoke what you had to speak, the explanation has been given…order!!”
“Senator Eddy leave the Chamber immediately! If you don’t leave in the next few seconds, Sergeant-at-Arms, escort the member out of the Chamber,” ruled Kingi.
Following the incident, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna backed Oketch, urging Cheruiyot to apologise for attempting to advance the Bill without first addressing concerns raised by members.
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