Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale was on Tuesday evening kicked out of the Senate chambers after alleging that it was the former President Uhuru Kenyatta who intervened for the release of the two Kenyans who were detained in Uganda.
It all began when Khalwale drew a comparison between Kenyans stuck in foreign countries and Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo's situation, in which he criticised the government for its lack of action.
"On this issue of these children who are locked up out of the country, they are no different from the two Kenyan political activists who were locked up in Uganda. It disturbs me that it took the intervention of the former president and not the current president," Khalwale alleged.
His sentiments quickly drew mixed reactions among his colleagues, with Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei challenging Khalwale to substantiate his allegations that indeed Uhuru Kenyatta intervened in Njagi and Oyoo's case.
"Mr Speaker, you know we must stick to the rules. When the Senator, a Chief Whip of the government, goes on record and says that the former President intervened for the release of Kenyans, can he provide the evidence before this House
He added, "Because we don’t want hearsays from some dens in Ikolomani coming to Senate. He should make such hearsays there in Kakamega and stay there, don’t bring those things here."
Senate Speaker Amason Kingi backed Cherargei's demands, calling on Senator Khalwale to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that indeed Uhuru intervened for the release of the two Kenyans detained in Uganda.
However, Khalwale, who was adamant about his sentiments, declined the directive, insisting that such discussions made before the Senate sitting did not require proof.
"From my experience, Cherargei should know that a ruling has been made that a member is not expected to substantiate the obvious," Khalwale stated.
Kingi pressed the Chief Whip to produce evidence to ascertain his allegations, but Khalwale went ahead to stay silent, prompting the Senate speaker to order him to apologise.
“If you cannot substantiate, the other option is not to keep quiet; keeping quiet is not an option under our Standing Orders. If you cannot substantiate, you proceed to withdraw and apologise,” the Speaker affirmed.
The Speaker ordered Khalwale to apologise, but the Kakamega lawmaker declined, claiming that he made the allegations on the grounds of freedom of speech.
It was these remarks that Speaker Kingi ordered him to walk out of the chamber.
"You are choosing to stay silent; therefore, it means you failed to substantiate, and the natural consequence will flow, and I will rule you out of order and ask you to leave the chamber," Kingi ordered.
