• Senator Aaron Cheruiyot claims ‘phone calls’ were made to the House committee that cleared Taita Taveta Governor Samboja of any wrongdoing.
• He did not disclose where the calls came from or whether they influenced the committee report.
Image: SOLOMON MUINGI
A senator has claimed that ‘phone calls’ were made to the House committee that cleared the Taita Taveta Governor Samboja of wrongdoing in the impeachment bid against him.
Aaron Cheruiyot (Kericho) said the 11-member special committee, which was chaired by Njeru Ndwiga (Embu), received several phone calls as it investigated the impeachment. He did not disclose where the calls came from or whether the calls influenced the outcome of their report.
"I served in the select committee that looked into the impeachment proceedings against the governor of Taita Taveta county. He knows what phone calls did during our meetings. I do not want to go that direction," Cheruiyot said.
Cheruiyot was quick to add that he was not "casting aspersions on the conduct or the character of any of our colleagues". The remarks elicited reactions, with Speaker Kenneth Lusaka and senators demanding to know whether the committee was coerced or bribed to give the governor a clean bill of health.
Lusaka demanded to know whether the alleged phone calls influenced committee findings. "You have said members were called. Did the phone call have a bearing on the final product that found its way into this House?" he asked.
Mutula Kilonzo Jnr (Makueni) said Cheruiyot’s statement suggested that the members of the committee were coerced or persuaded into making a decision other than that which would lead to proper judgment.
“I am extremely concerned that Senator Cheruiyot is suggesting that the decision made by the select committee that considered the impeachment proceedings against Governor Samboja received phone calls or that their decision was influenced by people other than the members of that committee,” he said.
The team, while absolving the county boss from wrongdoing, rejected all allegations advanced by the Taita Taveta county assembly and said the petition did not meet the constitutional threshold.
“The committee has investigated the matter in accordance with its mandate under Section 33(4) of the County Governments Act and Standing Order 75 (2) of the Senate and reports to the House that it finds none of the allegations against the governor substantiated,” the report concluded.
Migori’s Ochilo Ayacho, who also served in the special committee, defended his colleagues and told Cheruiyot to come clean on the allegations.
“Senator Cheruiyot should confirm whether he received a phone call because people have individual cellphones. We made our decisions individually on the basis of what we considered merit,” he said.
Ochilo cautioned against a blanket condemnation of the committee. "Senator Cheruiyot should trade carefully, lest he bring down through improper, perspective or insinuation as to the image and conduct of members of this House," he said.
For his part, Samuel Pogishio (West Pokot) asked the speaker to rule whether it was in order to impute improper motive and cast aspersions on members.
"I ask the speaker to guide that Senator Cheruiyot withdraws the claims that people received phone calls to influence the decision of a committee. The claim should be withdrawn and expunged.
"He is imputing improper motive on the House and that should not be. It does not take much for him to apologise and withdraw for us to make progress," he said.
But Cheruiyot was reluctant to budge. "There is no reference that those phones were made to individual senators. I never stated that it is on the basis of the phone calls that people made the decision,” he said.
However, when the pressure was too much to bear, the Kericho legislator withdrew the aspect that members of the select committee were influenced to save the governor.
“I withdraw that perception. However, it is unclear to me how I can withdraw a perception in someone’s mind,” he said.
(Edited by F'Orieny)