Senators Omanga, Prengei face Jubilee disciplinary committee

Ruling Party pumps up the pressure on rebel legislators with Nominated Senator Millicent Omanga appearing before a disciplinary committe

The ruling Jubilee Party has made good its threat to straighten wayward legislators. Among, them Nominated Senator Millicent Omanga is appearing before a disciplinary committee where she has herself as a loyal member of the party. She is accused of of gross insubordination after she failed to attend a parliamentary group meeting at State House convened by President Uhuru Kenyatta last week. “So far I think I’ve paid almost over Sh600,000 to the party since I joined in 2017. I pay Sh20,000 every month to my party to keep it running,” said Omanga while being grilled before the Jubilee disciplinary committee.

The senator repeatedly defended her case by saying she was never invited to the Jubilee Parliamentary Group meeting for Senators that axed former Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen and Majority Whip Susan Kihika. "Mr Chair I still maintain that I did not receive any invite and no one made a follow up to know whether all the senators had received it. I have over 700 messages on my phone,” she said. Other senators who felt the sting of the hot seat include Senator victor Prengei who faced charges of failing to attend the May 11 meeting, openly opposed the decision taken by the party following the Jubilee Parliamentary Group meeting, advancing positions inside and outside of the senate contrary to the party and many more. The senator defended his absence to the fact that he had travelled to his village and that he received no SMS inviting him to attend the meeting. “In my village Mr. chairman, we have very poor network coverage, poor road network and no electricity. My phone was off, so I came to Nakuru to charge my phone… a colleague asked me why I didn’t come to the meeting when I was on my way to Nairobi,” said Prengei.

Prengei who is the first representative in the national government from the community as a means of affirmative action in the Mau, made his final remarks like those of a man who had sold his soul to the devil; a statement that was also echoed by Omanga. “I am apologising… if there’s anything that the party wants me to do, anything through the leadership of the senate, I am ready to do it even now,” swore Prengei. “We follow all party positions sometimes without questioning. When the party says jump, you jump and when you are in the middle there you ask how high,” said Omanga. The grilling continues as the Jubilee Party continues to clean out members in the senate and assembly who have shown disloyalty to the party leader and agendas fronted by the party. Other senators, who now risk expulsion from the party if found guilty of misconduct include; Falhada Dekow Iman, Naomi Jillo Waqo and Mary Seneta Yiane.

Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju yesterday said that the party was out to deal with errant members who had gone against their fidelity to the contracts. “We will not be merciful when it comes to discipline in the party. But I want to tell Kenyans whatever disciplinary action will have taken, we will follow due process,” he said. To stamp the party's no-nonsense mien, Tuju said its disciplinary mechanism would not be gentle with rebels some of whom had gone to the extent of using fake party stationery in their mischief.