Murang’a Woman Representative Sabina Chege has said Jubilee Party members have no choice but to respect its leadership or jump ship.
Chege said on Friday that every party has it rules, which should be followed and that MPs who feel too powerful to conform can leave.
The Murang'a county MP noted that most elected leaders from the Central region paid a fee to become Jubilee members and had the President’s photo on their posters to show their solidarity with him to get local’s support.
She thus wondered why some politicians started going against President Uhuru Kenyatta once they were elected to Parliament.
Failure to attend meetings called by the party, she said, displays high levels of disrespect towards its leadership.
“If they feel like they are more powerful than the party leader, then they can leave and form their own. And we will allow them to go back to their voters and seek fresh mandate,” Chege said.
Chege spoke when she gave relief food at Kenol.
The second term legislator said while it is not wrong to criticise the government, it should be done respectfully.
Chege, who is also the National Assembly Health committee chairperson said the President has been calling for toned down politics and more focus on development.
Unfortunately, she said, some turned a deaf ear to his directives.
“They can seek fresh mandate and if re-elected, they can become part of the opposition but you can’t be the Majority leader and opposition at the same time,” she said in reference to Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen, who was replaced by West Pokot Senator Samuel Poghisio.
Similar fate befell Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika who was replaced by her Murang’a counterpart Irungu Kang’ata as the Majority Chief Whip.
The two have,however, petitioned their removal at the High Court, a move Chege criticised, saying the process used in their appointment was the same one used to oust them.
“We were given their names and told they were the appointees and we did not complain. Let them either respect the party or leave,” she said.
But Maragua MP Mary Waithera pleaded with the President to exercise lenience with MPs allied to Deputy President William Ruto.
She said though their utterances may be aggravating to him, solving the wrangles within the ruling party would strengthen it.
She said the long standing wrangles within the party are in public domain and may have been solved through a parliamentary group meeting.
“It’s been long since we had a PG and it may have provided solutions to our challenges. Other parties are now celebrating the occurrences within our party,” she said.
She said even though she did not support the MPs’ utterances, she sympathized with them as her counterparts.
Waithera called on the President and his deputy to have a sit-down and solve the issues between them noting that the party has not exhausted means of solving the rift among members.
The party has announced its intention to summon five nominated senators to appear before the party’s disciplinary committee over failure to attend a parliamentary group meeting called by the President.
It also intends to recall vocal Tangatanga MPs from the Central region.
Edited by E.Kibii
