We’ll oust Namwamba as chairman, vow MPs

Mr Namwamba has accused his colleagues of “malice”, saying their move to oust him was some form of “retribution” for the stand he took during the hearings on the constitutional nominations. Photo/FILE

The parliamentary Justice and Legal Affairs Committee has rejected proposals to have the impending ouster of their chairman, Mr Ababu Namwamba, solved through arbitration.

The PNU members and their allies — errant ODM members — told Deputy Speaker Farah Maalim on Wednesday that they had made up their minds to kick out the chairman because of his performance and that arbitration would not work.

The arbitration carrot had been floated informally on Tuesday by some MPs to the members of the committee, but they rejected it.

The disgruntled committee members have for the past two days been meeting informally to strategise on how to approach the issue, with many of them worried that their efforts to allow the committee to “function normally” were being frustrated “by an unseen hand”.

Before the meeting with the Deputy Speaker on Wednesday, vice-chairman Njoroge Baiya said the MPs were clear in what they wanted and they had followed the Standing Orders to express their wish.

“The Standing Orders are very clear, the Clerk has to organise a meeting after three days of our notice, to allow the MPs to elect a new chairman,” Mr Baiya said.

“Once most of the committee members lack confidence in the chairman, he just has to go.”

Mr Namwamba has accused his colleagues of “malice”, saying their move to oust him was some form of “retribution” for the stand he took during the hearings on the constitutional nominations.

Mr Namwamba and three of his colleagues had declared the nominations illegal contrary to a majority of committee members.

During debate on the adjournment motion on Wednesday, the bad blood in the committee spilled to the floor of the House, with a nasty diatribe between two nominated MPs Amina Abdalla (Kanu) and Millie Odhiambo (ODM).

The Deputy Speaker had to step in to end the tirade. Committee member Isaac Ruto (Chepalungu, ODM) also noted that the referral of the matter to the Deputy Speaker, who is the head of the liaison committee that maintains committee discipline, was wrong.

Mr Ruto’s party had written to the Speaker to have him kicked out of the committee, but then because the House rules are silent on how a party can kick out a member from a committee, the matter was left to the liaison committee.

ODM chief whip Jakoyo Midiwo has said the party has moved formally to replace the Chepalungu MP and his colleague, Ms Sofia Abdi.