Khalwale faces ejection from teams

PHOTO | FILE President Uhuru Kenyatta arrives for the swearing-in of senators and election of Speaker at KICC on March 28, 2013.  NATION MEDIA GROUP

By NJERI RUGENE nrugene@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Tuesday, May 7  2013 at  23:30

Jubilee intends to enforce the provisions of the Political Parties Act by withdrawing their support for a coalition senator who has refused to toe its line.

If a motion proposed in the Senate on Tuesday gets the House nod, Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale will be withdrawn from two committees, including one he had intended to chair.

Dr Khalwale, a United Democratic Forum senator, has announced publicly that he would not support Jubilee despite his party being a member of the alliance.

The motion by Senate Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki to discharge Dr Khalwale from the two teams in the face of a stalemate over the leadership of the key committee on Finance, Commerce and Economic Affairs.

Twice, the nine members of the team have been unable to elect a chairman, with Dr Khalwale and Mandera Senator Kerrow Billow (URP) tying with the support of four of their colleagues each.

Kisumu Senator Anyang’ Nyong’o, who is abroad, had been expected to break the tie.

On Tuesday morning, an attempt to hold another election failed after the Jubilee coalition informed the committee of its intention to withdraw Dr Khalwale and replace him with Majority Chief Whip Beatrice Elachi.

Reasons for the move

In the House, Prof Kindiki, the Tharaka Nithi Senator (TNA), said Dr Khalwale would be replaced in the committee on Implementation by Senator Ali Abdi Gure of Tana River.

On Friday, Ms Elachi wrote to Speaker Ekwee Ethuro, as required by the Standing Orders. The decision was taken because of the senator’s refusal to abide by the terms of the post-election coalition agreement between Jubilee and his UDF party, she wrote.

Section 14 (e) of the Political Parties Act 2011 states that any member of a party who promotes “the ideology, interests or policies of another political party shall be deemed to have resigned from the previous party. In the case of a coalition, the Act says it would not apply in case the political party member would do so in relation to the common objective of the coalition.