National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale has launched a scathing attack on Kieni MP Kanini Kega accusing him of extortion, thriving in threats and blackmail.
This is after the Kieni lawmaker purportedly initiated a process to kick out Duale as Majority Leader barely 24 hours after surviving the purge against allies of Deputy President William Ruto.
On Wednesday, Kega claimed that he had collected 117 signatures in his bid to oust Duale from the Majority of Leader post.
But in a strongly-worded statement, the Garissa Township MP rubbished the claims, accusing Kega of perfecting the art of extortion so well that all he does is to purport to collect signatures only for him thereafter to solicit favours from him and his friends in exchange for the withdrawal of signatures.
“Unfortunately, we are used to his antics and threats and we are not boarding,” Duale said in a statement sent to newsrooms on Wednesday.
“His tricks, unfortunately, has even killed the Committee on Trade, one of the most important committees in the House to which he chairs,” he added.
The National Assembly Standing Order 19 is clear on the process for removal of a Majority Leader which is by a majority of votes of all members of the Majority Party in a Parliamentary Group chaired by the Party Leader and the decision thereafter is communicated by the Majority Whip to the Speaker.
“There is no place for collection of signatures. In any case, the process was already completed Tuesday in the Parliamentary Group chaired by the President to which Kanini Kega also attended,” he said.
According to him, what the Kieni lawmaker is doing is to lie to his colleagues through unknown procedures that he can still have a say in the removal process when he is just playing his usual extortion game.
“I am also aware that Kega may be also shedding tears of loss and nursing a disappointment having believed in his mind that he was to be the next Majority Leader. On Tuesday, Jubilee Parliamentary Group meeting however made his dreams end in a bang,” Duale said.
“Kega, please note that being a Leader of Majority is not as easy as ABCD,” he fired back.
Contacted, on whether he was aware that members of the National Assembly were collecting signatures for the removal of Duale, Jubilee Party Secretary-General Raphael Tuju neither denied nor confirmed the same.
“We cannot second guess the president and our party leader Uhuru Kenyatta,” Tuju said in an interview with People Daily.
