President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee party on Wednesday intervened to shield Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki from impeachment by Parliament.
National Assembly majority leader Aden Duale confirmed convening a meeting with key Jubilee MPs championing the impeachment motion against Kariuki.
Kariuki sent Kenyatta National Hospital CEO Lily Koros on compulsory leave following an incident where doctors at the hospital performed brain surgery on the wrong patient.
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“I have today met with over 20 members of Parliament who are spearheading the proposed impeachment process of Health cabinet secretary Sicily Kariuki over her handling of the situation at the Kenyatta
National
Hospital following the botched brain surgery at the institution,” Duale said on Wednesday.
“We have resolved with the members
that the mater needs to be dealt with internally through the jubilee parliamentary group structure.”
Duale said he had convinced the MPs to allow the Health committee chaired by Murang’a Women representative Sabina Chege to investigate the matter and table their report in the House for debate.
“We will use the Jubilee structures in the House in resolving the matter arising from the recommendations of the Health committee,” he said.
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Over 160 Nasa and Jubilee lawmakers have so far signed the motion to oust the CS.
Majority whip Benjamin Washiali has appealed to the MPs to channel the matter through the Sabina-led Committee.
“The MPs are rushing the matter just the way the CS herself rushed by sacking Koros. If we keep on impeaching everyone instead of exploring the mechanisms set in the Law, then we will not have any Cabinet,” Washiali said.
The Constitution requires at least a third of the 349 members of the National Assembly to append their signatures to meet the threshold.
In the petition, the MPs have accused Kariuki of “abuse of office and gross violation of rules and regulations”.
Koros and an officer in charge of clinical affairs were sent home to pave way for investigations.