Don't tell us you would rather die than resign again, MPs tell Kimunya

Addressing the National Assembly as the new Majority leader, Kipipiri MP Amos Kimunya expressed his appreciation to Jubilee for giving him the opportunity lead the party in the House. His predecessor, Garissa Township MP Aden Duale, received praise cross the political divide for the good work he did, and handing over honourably. Nonetheless, words Kimunya uttered 12 years ago,"I would rather die than resign” returned to haunt him as MPs asked him to leave the office with honour when the time comes. Kimunya was appointed Minister of Finance from 2006 to July 2008 before he resigned in the wake of the Grand Regency Hotel scandal. A few days prior to his resignation, he had vowed to remain in his post and fight any attempt to force him out.

Members of Parliament are generally expected to conduct themselves with calm and in an orderly manner. However, a commotion ensued on Tuesday as MPs rushed to grab the few available seats in the chamber to the displeasure of some. Apart from requiring lawmakers to sanitise and observe social distancing, only 70 of the 349 MPs are allowed in the chamber to combat the spread of coronavirus in the House. Deputy Speaker Moses Cheboi concurred that a formula needs to be found to ensure MPs get seats without a fight. He said that if MPs sprint for their seats, those from certain communities would have unfair advantage over others. It was agreed that allocating seats was not working as some MPs don’t show up even after booking.

Well, some MPs must somehow wade into party politics whenever they are given the opportunity to speak, even when the subject matter is not local. When legislators were contributing to debate on Kenya’s recent victory in the United Nations, Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa had to bring in Ford Kenya politics. One would wonder what the UN Security Council seat had to do with politics of the Lion party. Wamalwa explained that the victory means Nairobi will return to the UN’s most powerful organ and be part of key decisions on global peace and security.  He, therefore, said Kenya must lead by example by obeying the rule of law. He went on to say the coup in Ford Kenya paints a bad picture of Kenya and that the country can by redeem itself if the Registrar of Political Parties adheres to the law.