•The Star has established that among those on the chopping board are the seven senators who voted against Kindiki’s ouster motion.
•Among those targeted are those who skipped the President's meeting and opposed the motion to oust Kindiki
Only days after the removal of Senate Deputy Speaker Kithure Kindiki, the purge on perceived Jubilee party rebels allied to Deputy President William Ruto now heads to the House committees.
A major shake-up of the panels targeting Senators considered disloyal to the ruling party and its leader President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected on Tuesday.
Majority Chief Whip Irungu Kang’ata said they are finalising the changes with a view to unveiling it in the chamber tomorrow.
“We shall meet soon to unveil the changes. Hopefully by Tuesday we shall finalise the issue. However, we are not vindictive or vengeful,” he said.
The Star has established that among those on the chopping board are the seven senators who voted against Kindiki’s ouster motion.
They were Senators Kipchumba Murkomen (Elgeyo Marakwet), John Kinyua (Nyandarua), Samson Cherargei (Nandi), Susan Kihika (Nakuru), Aaron Cheruiyot (Kericho), Benjamin Langat (Bomet) and Kindiki himself.
On Friday, the seven, all Jubilee members, voted to save the Tharaka Nithi senator with an overwhelming majority of 54 senators endorsing his removal.
Kindiki was removed for being disloyal to the President after he skipped a meeting called by the Jubilee party leader to change the House leadership.
However, Kang’ata said they will not undertake ethnic profiling in reorganising the committees but maintained that some those who voted against the motion will face the music.
“We shall not undertake ethnic profiling, hence some of those that voted against [the motion] may survive. We don’t’ intend for example to recall our PSC (Parliamentary Service Commission) commissioner. But some will definitely face the sanctions,” he said.
Cheruiyot sits in the PSC – a powerful decision making organ in Parliament. He is also a member of ICT, Energy and Finance and Budget committees of the Senate.
Kinyua, Cherargei and Langat are chairs of House committees and are now set to lose the plum positions.
Kinyua chairs the Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations – the committee charged with overseeing smooth operations of the counties. Besides, Kinyua sits in Liaison and Health committees.
Charargei heads the Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee whose members include senior counsels James Orengo who is also the House Minority Leader and Okong’o Mogeni (Nyamira). Cherargei is also a member of Devolution and Labour committees.
Langat is in charge of the Education Committee. The Bomet Senator also sits in the powerful House Business Committee, Procedure and Rules Committee and the Liaison Committee.
He is also a member of the Tourism and Industrialisation as well as the National Cohesion, Equal Opportunity and Regional Integration.
Kihika, who was a fortnight ago removed from Majority Whip alongside Murkomen as Majority leader, forgo her seat in the House Business Committee. Besides, she is a member of Energy, Justice and Legal Affairs Committee and National Security and Foreign Relations Committee.
Other said senators said to be targeted for ouster are Mithika Linturi, who is Cherargei’s vice in the JLAC committee besides sitting in the powerful County Investments and Public Accounts committee and Energy Committee.
Linturi opposed the motion but did not take a vote at the end of the debate. He is one of the legislators who skipped the State House meeting called by the President.
Mandera Senator Mohamed Mahamud who chairs Finance and Budget committee apart from sitting in the House Business Liaison Committees, is said to be facing the axe. Though he supported the motion to remove, he did not attend the State House meeting.
Also expected to face the axe are the five nominated Senators who snubbed the President’s meeting.
They are Falhada Dekow, Millicent Omanga (vice chair Cohesion and Regional Integration), Naomi Waqo (Cohesion and Regional Integration chairperson), Mary Seneta and Victor Prengei.
However, the lot may be spared after they pledged their allegiance to the party and its leader and supported Kindiki’s removal.