Tempers flare in Senate as Speaker Kingi kicks out Khalwale
By David Nthua, November 18, 2025What began as a normal sitting to deliberate on various issues escalated into name-calling and a shouting match that ended with Kakamega Senator Boniface Khalwale being kicked out of the House.
Speaking on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, the Kakamega Senator appeared to take a jibe at the Prime Cabinet Secretary and the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi.
Khalwale attacks the government
In his message, Khalwale questioned the government’s priorities after drawing parallels between Kenyan children reportedly stranded abroad and activists who were once detained in Uganda.
“The issue of the children who are out of the country is no different from the two Kenyan political activists who were locked up in Uganda for a long time. It disturbs me that it took the intervention of the former President, and not the current President,” Khalwale said.
His remarks triggered an immediate rebuttal from Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei, who demanded evidence, warning that the House could not rely on unverified claims.
“We must stick to the rules, Mr Speaker, when the Senator goes on record and says the former President intervened for the release of Kenyans, can he provide the evidence before this House because we don’t want hearsays from chang’aa drinking dens in Ikolomani coming to the Senate,” Cherargei told the August House.
Kingi rules on Khalwale’s misconduct
Senate Speaker Amason Kingi backed the challenge and pressed Khalwale to either substantiate or withdraw the statement.
“The point of order is: is that factual? If you cannot provide evidence, you proceed to withdraw and apologise,” Kingi ruled.
But the Senator refused to climb down, arguing that his statement fell under matters already deemed obvious by previous parliamentary rulings.
“You should further advise the Senator of Nandi that he is thickets away from my experience in the Parliamentary palace… a member is not expected to substantiate the obvious,” Khalwale responded.
At this point, tempers rose sharply, forcing Speaker Kingi to repeatedly ask the Kakamega legislator to obey the Standing Orders. But Khalwale insisted he would “choose to keep quiet” rather than engage further.
Kingi swiftly rejected that position: “If you cannot substantiate, the other option is not to keep quiet; keeping quiet is not an option under our Standing Orders.”
Instead of complying, Khalwale accused some lawmakers of using points of order to intimidate colleagues.
“This habit of giving the impression that this floor of the House offers an opportunity for intimidation of members during debate actually negates the freedom of speech,” he charged.
He went further, telling Cherargei he was hiding behind procedure: “If the Nandi Senator is uncomfortable with the factuality of what I am saying, let him express his discomfort and not hide in a point of order.”
When he resisted again, Speaker Kingi issued the final blow.
“You are choosing to stay silent; therefore, it means you failed to substantiate, and the natural consequence will flow… I will rule you out of order and ask you to leave the chamber,” Kingi declared.
Khalwale was then ordered out of the Senate chamber.