- According to Kingi the appeal raises several issues that merit his consideration.
- Sifuna’s suspension was to lapse Thursday midnight as per the order from the Speaker.
Image: COURTESY
Senate Speaker Amason Kingi has lifted an order suspending Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna from accessing the precincts of Parliament.
In a communiqué Wednesday afternoon, Kingi informed the House that he had received an appeal from the senator challenging the decision to kick him out and suspend him for three days.
According to Kingi, the appeal raises several issues that merit his consideration.
“If I am to act on it expeditiously, the earliest I can give a ruling is tomorrow, and at that time, the member will have served his suspensions and therefore my ruling may not help much,” he said.
“Therefore, pending my consideration for that appeal, and rendering my decision on that appeal, I will suspend that suspension that was meted against the member,” he explained.
Sifuna’s suspension was to lapse Thursday midnight as per the order from the Speaker.
The order barred the member from accessing the offices, committee rooms, lounges, and dining halls over alleged misconduct.
“I also direct the Sergeant-at-Arms to ensure compliance with the directive for the stated duration,” he said.
He is said to have been heard shouting “Shame! Shame! Shame!” at the speaker’s procession while on the walkway from the Senate Chamber outside the Senate Lounge.
This is after nominated senator Veronica Maina who was presiding over the session interrupted the proceeding and adjourned the session.
As is the tradition, the Speaker’s procession, consisting of the Speaker, the Sergeant-at-Arms, the Clerk-at-the-Table, and a police officer from the Parliament Police Station, exited the Senate Chamber, on its way to the Speaker’s Office.
Kingi noted that Maina later engaged Sifuna on why he was shouting at the Speaker’s Procession.
He however noted that it was the first occasion for Sifuna to be found grossly disorderly under Standing Order 122.
“It is at this point that a verbal altercation between the two Senators ensued. Officers of the Sergeant-at-Arms and several Senators who were in the room intervened to calm down the two Senators and defuse the engagement, which would have otherwise resulted in an unpleasant physical exchange,” he said.
Kingi said a report on what transpired was submitted to the Office of Speaker of the Senate by the Chief Sergeant-at-Arms.
“Upon interrogating the report, I have made a determination that the actions of Sifuna in shouting as he did at the procession of the Speaker amounted to a disruption or attempt to disrupt the Speaker’s Procession,” he said.
Standing Order 122 (1) highlights the instances in which a Senator displays gross disorderly conduct which include “disrupts or attempts to disrupt the Speaker’s Procession”.
The sanctions for the conduct of such Senator are provided under Standing Order 122 (2) which states that “the Speaker may call a Senator whose conduct is grossly disorderly to order, and shall order the Senator to withdraw immediately from the precincts of Parliament.”