Kenya: Azimio Mounts Spirited Fight to Stop Kuria’s Senate Appearance, Files Censure Bid
Nairobi — Azimio Senators stormed out of Wednesday’s morning Senate sitting in protest of Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria’s appearance, plunging the house into a temporary quorum hitch.
Opposition Senators walked out in protest of Kuria’s appearance in the plenary before consideration of a censure motion over his weaponized outburst against the media.
The walkout was prompted by a decision by Senate Speaker Amason Kingi disallowing attempts to have the said motion debated saying it was yet to filed procedurally.
“As far as am concerned am not aware of any motion that [Senator] Sifuna has submitted. Having not seen this particular motion it cannot be a subject of discussion of the floor today. Even if it was submitted to the office of the Speaker it may be admissible or not admissible,” the Speaker asserted.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna said he had sponsored a censure motion citing Kuria for misconduct .
The Nairobi Senator said failure to challenge and reprimand Kuria’s actions could impede media freedom.
“I rise to seek guidance on whether a person who is a subject to a motion of censure that has already been filed before this house can again appear prior to the motion on censure being dispensed,” he said.
“That motion will be prejudiced by the appearance of that person before we have dispensed the matter,” he added.
Misconduct
Sifuna had argued that the Trade CS might take a chance to explain and exonerate himself from the accusations against him.
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“We in the minority side are opposing his presence in this house and we seek your direction on whether his presence prior to dispensation of the motion would be prejudicial to the same motion,” he said.
Kitui Senator Enock Wambua said the question which the embattled CS was supposed to answer touched on the issues raised in the censure motion hence he should not have had the opportunity to address Senate until the motion is dispensed.
“To allow a leader to use the floor of this house to sanitize himself over accusation of abuse and insult is a painful thing. On a matter of principle, we should not allow Moses Kuria to use the floor to sanitize himself,” said Wambua.
Majority Leader Aaron Cheruyoit questioned why Opposition Senators had decided to be part of the proceedings where CSs appear to answer questions yet they had filed a petition in court to outlaw the proceedings.
“What’s the justification of a person who has not shown interest in any of these proceedings. Kuria is the 10th appearing before the house and they have never shown interest but today they want to stop the rest of us who wants to put the Executive to account,” said Cheuyoit.
Senator Cheruyoit further pointed out that Sifuna’s censure motion had not gone through the necessary procedure for approval to necessitate the cancelation of CS Kuria’s appearance.
“Let’s allow the CS Kuria to answer the question then once the censure motion has gone through the process of approval then we will have an opportunity to answer to the issue about the media,” said Cheruyoit.
