Muturi warns MPs against mocking colleagues beaten in primaries

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has asked MPs who were victorious in their respective party nominations to treat their colleagues who lost with compassion as the House began what he called the last lap of the last leg of their term.

Smiling as he spoke, Mr Muturi avoided the usual digs he makes at MPs as he corrects them and asked, perhaps as a man who has lost an election before, for the victorious ones to be kind.

“Even as you make references to what happened to your colleagues, do it with compassion. It is not good to be told to your face that you have been massacred,” said Mr Muturi.

He intervened to protect those who lost in the nominations after Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ngeno used a chance to contribute to mock his colleagues.

Mr Ngeno singled out Ainabkoi MP Samuel Chepkong’a, who as chairman of the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee led the House in passing the changes to election laws that restricted party-hopping.

'COOKED'

Mr Chepkong’a clinched the Jubilee ticket to defend his seat after he successfully got the party’s tribunal to have the nominations repeated at Munyaka Primary School. He was eventually victorious by 90 votes.

Pointing at Cherangany MP Wesley Korir, who lost to his predecessor Joshua Kuttuny, Mr Ngeno said: “My brother Wesley was cooked. He had to remain where he was before. He was roasted by Jubilee.”

Mr Korir was among the handful of nomination losers who reported back to work after the primaries, where many sitting MPs lost, which in party strongholds amounts to losing the seat.

Many of those who lost, particularly from Central Kenya, kept away from Parliament.

Among those who showed up were: Mutava Musyimi (Mbeere South), Njoroge Baiya (Githunguri), Wanjiku Muhia (Nyandarua Woman Rep) and Mary Mbugua (Nakuru Woman Rep).

TALKS COLLAPSE

Mr Mutava had the official business of informing his colleagues that the mediation talks on the Division of Revenue Bill had collapsed. He heads the House’s biggest committee, the 51-member Budget and Appropriations Committee.

Those who won, like Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter, walked with a spring in their step. Mr Keter was visible and audible at the lobby, cheerily greeting his colleagues and presiding over a crowded table at the restaurant over lunch.

Thomas Mwadgehu, who was declared the winner of the ODM ticket for the Taita Taveta governor’s seat, took the opportunity to wax lyrical about the future if he goes to become the next head of his home county.

“Those of us here who are going elsewhere will not embarrass this House. We shall be good where we go, as governors and will not go into the now common habit of stealing public funds. We shall have a lot of respect for this House,” said Mr Mwadeghu.

Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri used his contribution to debate on the Finance Bill to accuse Opposition MPs of kelele (making noise) and said the voters in Bahati had given him the Jubilee ticket to continue doing the good job they think he has been doing.