Circular to MPs a loyalty test: Mbadi

National Assembly Minority Leader John Mbadi on September 6, 2017. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The Suba South MP was kicked out of the House for one morning last December.
  • The Nairobi Business Community had booked the park to offer free circumcision.

National Assembly Minority Leader John Mbadi has downplayed claims that opposition MPs who do not pledge allegiance to Raila Odinga by signing a document in circulation could face sanctions.

Mr Mbadi said Nasa was, however, seeking to take note of MPs within their ranks who lacked enough commitment to their cause.

“It (the signing of the document) is voluntary. It’s just a way through which some of us felt we could affirm our position. There are people who are talking like they would recognise Uhuru (Kenyatta) as President, yet as a coalition we have said we don’t recognise him,” said Mr Mbadi.

WITHDRAW

The Suba South MP was kicked out of the House for one morning last December after he refused to withdraw his statement that he did not recognise President Kenyatta’s legitimacy.

The Minority Leader said the intention of the initiators of the affidavit was to know how many of their elected MPs were committed to the opposition’s cause.

“You know we are not a very vindictive coalition. We don’t want to be threatening members with action,” he said.

Nasa is next Tuesday set to hold a ceremony at an undisclosed location in Nairobi to swear in Mr Odinga as “the people’s president”. Mr Odinga’s swearing-in was set to take place at Uhuru Park but Nasa was forced to find an alternative venue after the grounds were reserved for a circumcision ceremony.

Yesterday, Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria led members of the Nairobi Business Community on an inspection of the park ahead of the ceremony.

Mr Kuria was also accompanied by his Tharaka counterpart George Murugara and the Kirinyaga woman representative Purity Ngirichi, Jubilee politician Francis Mwangi and women from the Gikuyu community who sang traditional songs.

Speaking at the Milimani Law Courts before proceeding to Uhuru Park, Mr Kuria said citizens should keep off the grounds on that day and not politicise the circumcision ceremony.

The Nairobi Business Community had booked the park to offer free circumcision to street boys who would like to undergo the rite.

On Monday, former Westlands MP Fred Gumo urged Mr Odinga to call off the swearing-in ceremony.