A public row has erupted between Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka and Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma, following the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The confrontation, which played out both on national television and social media, highlights growing tensions between Members of Parliament and Senators regarding the country’s political landscape and funding practices.
The drama began when Senator Onyonka appeared in a television interview on Wednesday and criticized Members of Parliament for being out of touch with the realities facing ordinary Kenyans.
Onyonka, referencing the National Assembly’s overwhelming vote to impeach the Deputy President, accused MPs of exacerbating Kenya’s political problems.
“Can we please ask the leadership of this country, Members of Parliament, particularly Members of Parliament, to stop some of the things which they are doing, completely because they don’t seem to understand that Kenyans are slowly and very systematically and very carefully [watching] because every action has an effect. What members of parliament are doing has an effect on the public,” Onyonka said during the interview.
The remarks quickly drew the ire of Peter Kaluma, who blasted Onyonka for what he saw as hypocrisy.
Kaluma claimed that Senators were taking home significant sums in the form of an oversight fund, far beyond their regular salaries.
“Each Senator takes home over Ksh.1.5 million each month as ‘Senate Oversight Fund’. This is on top of their monthly salary, which is for their oversight, representation, and legislation roles. Brother @RichardOnyonka_ what integrity are you talking about!” Kaluma tweeted in response to Onyonka’s remarks.
In a swift rebuttal, Onyonka denied the existence of the Ksh1.5 million fund, accusing Kaluma of making baseless claims.
He emphasized that Senators do not personally benefit from any such oversight funds and that Kaluma’s assertion was misguided.
“My brother in ODM George Kaluma, as a Senator I earn ZERO shillings from the oversight fund, the 1.5 million is your own imagination, what is available is recurrent for the oversight team. Verse yourself well with matters in the Senate. Thank you!” Onyonka fired back on Twitter.
However, Kaluma probed further about the oversight fund, insisting on the Ksh1.5 million sum.
“Tell us more about “the oversight team”. You are already paid salary to oversight counties. Why take another over Ksh.1 5 million from tax-payers to do “oversight”? You can’t be advocating accountability while at the same time looting public funds – it’s wrong,” the Homa Bay Town MP tweeted.
The heated exchange underscores deep divisions between members of the Senate and the National Assembly at a time when the country faces significant political challenges.
The ongoing fallout from Gachagua’s impeachment vote appears to have exposed broader frustrations among lawmakers over how both chambers are perceived and the role they play in governance.
As Kenyans increasingly scrutinize their leaders in the wake of the impeachment vote, the spat between Onyonka and Kaluma is a stark reminder of the tensions brewing within the political class.
It remains to be seen whether these divisions will have wider repercussions on the country’s legislative processes moving forward.
