Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen has said Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka was pushed to approve his removal from the Senate Majority leader seat.
Speaking during a Senate sitting on Tuesday, Murkomen said speaker Lusaka made the decision under duress.
Murkomen listed all the favours he has done for Speaker Lusaka and recounted how far they had come together. He said he believes Lusaka would have never approved his removal from office willingly. Consequently, he felt sorry for Lusaka after he was forced to make such a difficult decision.
“Mr Speaker, you are my friend, I’ve known you for long. You have been a DC in my place. I knew you when you were a governor. I defended you here when Orengo and Wetang’ula wanted to bring senate documents against you. Mr Speaker, this is not your decision, you made this decision under duress and undue influence. I am sorry you had to do this,” Murkomen said.
In the meeting, Speaker Kenneth Lusaka officially communicated to the House that Jubilee has effected changes in its House leadership. He approved the changes made in yesterday’s meeting at State House, with Senator Samuel Poghisio as the new Majority leader and Irungu Kang’ata as the Majority Chief Whip.
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A section of senators allied to Deputy President William Ruto protested the move, saying the speaker has communicated the changes under duress.
In a press briefing, Murkomen said 22 out of 35 Jubilee senators had not attended the Jubilee meeting because they were not invited and they did not know there would be the removal of some members. Consequently, they wrote to the Senate speaker, saying they had not attended the meeting and did not support the decision to remove anyone from the Senate leadership.
Despite sending the letter, Lusaka approved the changes.
