MP Injured as Debate Session Turns Violent

Sigowet Soin MP Benard Koros pictured bleeding as he holds a handkerchief in Parliament on Wednesday, December 31.
Sigowet Soin MP Benard Koros pictured bleeding as he holds a handkerchief in Parliament on Wednesday, December 31.
Kenyans.co.ke

The National Assembly was on Wednesday, December 29, forced to suspend its session after a member of parliament sustained a bloody injury during a special parliamentary sitting to debate the controversial Political Parties Amendment Bill 

Sigowet Soin MP Benard Koin suffered an injury in the eye and was spotted bleeding from his right-hand cheek. 

Koros, who belongs to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) faction, was seen wiping off blood using his handkerchief. He claimed that he had been attacked by a fellow legislator in the August House.

Sigowet Soin MP Benard Koros pictured bleeding as he holds a handkerchief in Parliament on Wednesday, December 31.
Sigowet Soin MP Benard Koros pictured bleeding as he holds a handkerchief in Parliament on Wednesday, December 31.
Parliament

"Mr. Speaker, I have been attacked in this house by the master of violence, now I can't see, I can't vote. We cannot accept to be injured in a national house. This cannot happen here!"

Chaos erupted as the MPs were called upon to vote on the proposed amendments by Kandara MP Alice Wahome to amend Clause 6 of the Political Parties Act. As the lawmakers queued to vote, a brawl erupted within parliament buildings.

MPs were seen pushing each other, some even exchanging heavy fists and punches - forcing the session speaker Chris Omulele to suspend the sitting for 15 minutes to allow the tension to tone down.

Following the incident, the ODM Chairman and Minority Leader John Mbadi was suspended from parliament for five days.

While addressing the media, Mbadi castigated the move by the Speaker, stating that the decision to suspend him was unfair. He accused Koros of attacking him after he attempted to stop him from voting for a member who was absent.

Mbadi argued that he only retaliated to defend himself from the Sigowet Soin MP.

"The honourable member charges at me and in the process, he bites my finger. So what am I to do? Do I just sit there and watch as he bites my finger?" He posed as he displayed his bleeding finger.

Earlier, drama was witnessed in parliament as Majority Leader Amos Kimunya was on the spot in parliament over remarks he made in parliament. This is after remarks he made addressing Wahome in his submission did not ogre well with a section of members of parliament.

In a scathing attack, he questioned Wahome's education background and understanding of the law after she  proposed for the deleting of the entire Clause 6 of the bill under debate.

"I am not quite sure what law school honorable Wahome went to because as a lawyer or somebody who purports to be a lawyer, she ought to know how laws are made in this country

"You can raise, you can shout, but when people expose their ignorance on the floor of this house, we cannot save them from exposing their ignorance of the subject," he remarked.

His comments marked the return of the  "Kimunya must go!" chants in parliament after 13 years

c
ODM National Chairman John Mbadi receives the newly launched Party Membership Card at his Parliament office in December 2019
Twitter
ODM
  • .