President Uhuru Kenyatta speaks in
Nyansiongo Nyamira County in his
tour of Kisii and Nyamira counties
on Monday 09-06-2014. Information
Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i
(left) is the new target of MPs who
have refused to withdraw an
intended Motion against his
Cabinet colleague.
Majority Leader Aden Duale
Monday failed to convince MPs to
withdraw an impending censure
motion which has now been
broadened to include two Cabinet
Secretaries.
Information Cabinet Secretary Fred
Matiang’i is the new target of MPs
who have refused to withdraw an
intended Motion against his
Cabinet colleague, Ms Anne
Waiguru.
Igembe South MP Mithika Linturi,
who is heading the campaign to
have Ms Waiguru sacked, met Mr
Duale but later said he saw no
reason to drop his Motion. Instead,
he claimed that about 200 MPs
supported his Motion and that
they will meet at the Panafric
Hotel in Nairobi, today to
deliberate on how to deal with the
Motion once it is tabled.
Approve Motion
Mr Linturi said he and other MPs
were waiting for the House
Business Committee to approve the
Motion today after which they will
table it any time from now.
“It is difficult for Mr Duale and his
colleagues to silence us. This
motion is not about Linturi; it is
owned by 200 MPs who have
signed a petition and have refused
to withdraw it,” the MP said.
Mr Duale on his part said he was
still reaching out to more MPs who
were in support of the Motion
before making public the outcome
of his lobbying.
“I am still holding consultations
with members,” he said by phone.
He said he had met Mr Linturi and
his fellow legislators to discuss the
Motion targeting Ms Waiguru.
The effort to remove Dr Matiang’i
is spearheaded by the MP for
Samburu West, Mr Lati Lelelit and
was launched on Friday.
MPs claimed that by Saturday, Mr
Lelelit had collected more than 100
signatures from MPs who want Dr
Matiang’i sacked. They accuse him
of calling them names during a
function he presided over in Kisii
County last week.
“Yes, I can confirm we are doing
that but I am still collecting the
signatures. I do not want to give a
lot of details but as MPs we will
be meeting today to talk about
how to take the process forward,”
Mr Lelelit said by phone.
Mr Linturi also confirmed the
move against Dr Matiang’i.
MPs did not seem to have a
problem with Dr Matiang’i’s
performance. The effort to have
him sacked appeared based purely
on the allegation that he called
them names.
On Ms Waiguru, an MP who
sought anonymity said she may be
unlucky because the Motion
against her is likely to come up for
debate at a time when the top
leaders in the Jubilee Coalition are
busy formulating a strategy to
counter the clamour for national
dialogue that has gained
momentum with the return of
Cord leader Raila Odinga. The
coalition’s leaders, the MP argued,
might not have enough time to
lobby MPs hard enough.
Mr Linturi, who belongs to the
Jubilee Coalition, has defied
pressure to drop the motion with
the latest coming on Saturday
during the wedding of Buuri MP
Boniface Kinoti Gatobu when his
colleagues from Meru County
asked him to assure President
Uhuru Kenyatta, who was present,
that he would not pursue the
removal of the minister.
Mr Linturi said he needed to first
consult the MPs who had signed
the petition.
Ms Waiguru also received support
from four of her colleagues in the
Cabinet led by Dr Matiang’i who
issued a statement saying they
would not be diverted from their
responsibilities by such censure
Motions.
Deputy President William Ruto has
also weighed in on the matter,
publicly daring MPs planning to
sack the minister to instead
confront him and President
Kenyatta. He said that the
presidency took full responsibility
for appointments and transfers in
government.
The grumbling over Ms Waiguru
was started by MPs from the Rift
Valley who accused her of
unprocedurally transferring former
National Youth Service director-
general Kiplimo Rugut to the
Sports Ministry and replacing him
with former State House
comptroller Nelson Githinji.
Dr Matiang’i Monday said on
phone that he had been alerted on
Thursday that Mr Lelelit was
collecting signatures in Parliament
with a view to table a Motion to
impeach him for utterances he is
accused of making during the
school function on Friday.
“Two MPs forwarded to me a
message alerting me that the MP
whom I have not even met was
collecting signatures with a view
to file the Motion. That was a day
before the school function yet I
am accused of uttering the
offensive words at the school
function,” he said.
He revealed that he had been told
he had been targeted alongside Ms
Waiguru and Transport CS
Michael Kamau.
“I did not utter the words I am
being accused of. I am told they
have no case against me but want
to impeach me with my colleagues
for sport,” Dr Matiang’i said.
Nyansiongo Nyamira County in his
tour of Kisii and Nyamira counties
on Monday 09-06-2014. Information
Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i
(left) is the new target of MPs who
have refused to withdraw an
intended Motion against his
Cabinet colleague.
Majority Leader Aden Duale
Monday failed to convince MPs to
withdraw an impending censure
motion which has now been
broadened to include two Cabinet
Secretaries.
Information Cabinet Secretary Fred
Matiang’i is the new target of MPs
who have refused to withdraw an
intended Motion against his
Cabinet colleague, Ms Anne
Waiguru.
Igembe South MP Mithika Linturi,
who is heading the campaign to
have Ms Waiguru sacked, met Mr
Duale but later said he saw no
reason to drop his Motion. Instead,
he claimed that about 200 MPs
supported his Motion and that
they will meet at the Panafric
Hotel in Nairobi, today to
deliberate on how to deal with the
Motion once it is tabled.
Approve Motion
Mr Linturi said he and other MPs
were waiting for the House
Business Committee to approve the
Motion today after which they will
table it any time from now.
“It is difficult for Mr Duale and his
colleagues to silence us. This
motion is not about Linturi; it is
owned by 200 MPs who have
signed a petition and have refused
to withdraw it,” the MP said.
Mr Duale on his part said he was
still reaching out to more MPs who
were in support of the Motion
before making public the outcome
of his lobbying.
“I am still holding consultations
with members,” he said by phone.
He said he had met Mr Linturi and
his fellow legislators to discuss the
Motion targeting Ms Waiguru.
The effort to remove Dr Matiang’i
is spearheaded by the MP for
Samburu West, Mr Lati Lelelit and
was launched on Friday.
MPs claimed that by Saturday, Mr
Lelelit had collected more than 100
signatures from MPs who want Dr
Matiang’i sacked. They accuse him
of calling them names during a
function he presided over in Kisii
County last week.
“Yes, I can confirm we are doing
that but I am still collecting the
signatures. I do not want to give a
lot of details but as MPs we will
be meeting today to talk about
how to take the process forward,”
Mr Lelelit said by phone.
Mr Linturi also confirmed the
move against Dr Matiang’i.
MPs did not seem to have a
problem with Dr Matiang’i’s
performance. The effort to have
him sacked appeared based purely
on the allegation that he called
them names.
On Ms Waiguru, an MP who
sought anonymity said she may be
unlucky because the Motion
against her is likely to come up for
debate at a time when the top
leaders in the Jubilee Coalition are
busy formulating a strategy to
counter the clamour for national
dialogue that has gained
momentum with the return of
Cord leader Raila Odinga. The
coalition’s leaders, the MP argued,
might not have enough time to
lobby MPs hard enough.
Mr Linturi, who belongs to the
Jubilee Coalition, has defied
pressure to drop the motion with
the latest coming on Saturday
during the wedding of Buuri MP
Boniface Kinoti Gatobu when his
colleagues from Meru County
asked him to assure President
Uhuru Kenyatta, who was present,
that he would not pursue the
removal of the minister.
Mr Linturi said he needed to first
consult the MPs who had signed
the petition.
Ms Waiguru also received support
from four of her colleagues in the
Cabinet led by Dr Matiang’i who
issued a statement saying they
would not be diverted from their
responsibilities by such censure
Motions.
Deputy President William Ruto has
also weighed in on the matter,
publicly daring MPs planning to
sack the minister to instead
confront him and President
Kenyatta. He said that the
presidency took full responsibility
for appointments and transfers in
government.
The grumbling over Ms Waiguru
was started by MPs from the Rift
Valley who accused her of
unprocedurally transferring former
National Youth Service director-
general Kiplimo Rugut to the
Sports Ministry and replacing him
with former State House
comptroller Nelson Githinji.
Dr Matiang’i Monday said on
phone that he had been alerted on
Thursday that Mr Lelelit was
collecting signatures in Parliament
with a view to table a Motion to
impeach him for utterances he is
accused of making during the
school function on Friday.
“Two MPs forwarded to me a
message alerting me that the MP
whom I have not even met was
collecting signatures with a view
to file the Motion. That was a day
before the school function yet I
am accused of uttering the
offensive words at the school
function,” he said.
He revealed that he had been told
he had been targeted alongside Ms
Waiguru and Transport CS
Michael Kamau.
“I did not utter the words I am
being accused of. I am told they
have no case against me but want
to impeach me with my colleagues
for sport,” Dr Matiang’i said.
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