Kipipiri MP Amos Kimunya on Sunday, June 7 declared his support for the ouster of National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale as Jubilee Party purge roars into the August House.
Describing Duale as a weak link, Kimunya argued that the Garissa Township Member of Parliament had lost the confidence of majority of the ruling party's Lawmakers since he had failed to unite his political troops for a common cause.
He disclosed that a campaign initiated by Kieni MP Kanini Kega to collect signatures in support of Duale's ouster was gathering steam, with 126 Lawmakers having already appended their signatures.
Kimunya argued that while Duale had performed well during his seven-year stint as Majority Leader, he could not lead divided troops in Parliament.
He claimed that his continued stay in the position will definitely work against President Uhuru Kenyatta's plans and development agenda at the National Assembly.
"The title is Leader of the Majority Party. Not a Manager Leader. One of the things the leader is expected to do is bring everyone together, build consensus, harness synergies of different members.
"We are 216 members of the Jubilee Coalition. Out of 216, if 126 are saying we don't want you as our leader, we've lost our trust, then you are left with 90 which is a minority.
"So, if I was in that position myself, I would seriously reconsider. Do I have the trust of the membership that I'm supposed to lead in Parliament?" he posed.
Making reference to the ejection of former Majority Whip Benjamin Washiali and his Deputy Cecily Mbarire at the last Parliamentary Group meeting on Tuesday, June 2, Kimunya claimed that many party members felt the so-called fumigation needed to be thorough.
Before the meeting, Duale was one of those whose fate was said to be hanging in the balance, as it appeared that allies of Deputy President William Ruto were being axed.
He, however, survived the purge which began in the Senate. Kimunya argued that a section of Jubilee Lawmakers also expected Duale's removal to be discussed at the PG meeting, explaining what triggered the impeachment motion.
"There was a lot of expectations, and the media had done a lot of hype that all the positions would be changed. There was a whole disappointment within the membership on why was he spared, triggering the movement for signatures," he noted.
Watch Kimunya's interview below:
{"preview_thumbnail":"/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/eranDxd28XQ.jpg?itok=fPeBk4aK","video_url":"","settings":{"responsive":1,"width":"854","height":"480","autoplay":0},"settings_summary":["Embedded Video (Responsive)."]}
