Duale backs ouster of Keter, Tiren as chairs of house committees

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Nairobi, KENYA: National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale has defended ouster of Jubilee Members in the house committees who went against the party’s decision on the committees’ leadership.

Speaking in a media briefing at the parliamentary building on Tuesday, Duale said the Party had agreed on equitable distribution of party positions across the communities to attain regional balance.

Four committees that were affected in this shake-up include; Labour and Social welfare whose chair has been Nandi hills mp Alfred Keter, Agriculture committee that has been chaired by Moiben legislator Silas Tiren, the Committee on Environmental and Natural resources and parliamentary and library committee whose chairs opted to step down.

Duale insisted that it was President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto’s move to change chairs in the respective committees, indicating that it is incorrect by Nandi Hills legislator Alfred Keter and his counterpart Moiben legislator Silas Tiren to fail in following party’s regulations on the matter.

“We cannot and cannot vote out of party lines, there is nothing unusual Jubilee party has done,” Duale said.

The Garissa Township MP lashed out at the former Trade Unionists Wilson Sossion and Omboko Milemba saying they should know that things in parliament are running differently from firebrand trade unions.

He dismissed the claims by Nandi Hills MP that he was ousted from Labour committee over the explosive social funds scandals saying the MP does not need to be the chair of the committee to exercise his oversight role.

On his part, the Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter condemned the speaker of the National Assembly Justin Muturi for being bias on parliamentary matters.

He noted that Jubilee’s move to remove him as the Chairperson of the Labour committee is to ensure that the cartels continue with corrupt tendencies, especially in the National social security fund.

Keter was eventually kicked out after a rigorous battle between NASA and Jubilee MPs on how to go about the exercise on voting for or against the motion of no confidence, after which the committee clerks resorted to acclamation.

Keter will battle out with Bura legislator Ali Wario who is also seeking to be elected as the chair.

The vice chair of the environment committee Marakwet east mp Kangogo Bowen was also ousted.

Tiren said that his agenda of dealing with the cartels in the sugar and fertilizer industry has been thwarted by the executive following its directive to the members of the committee to oust him.

He urged the executive to stop meddling in the affairs of the legislature terming such move as retrogressive to the independence of other arms of government.

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