Chaos Erupts Over Uhuru's List During Jubilee Closed-Door Meeting

Kipipiri MP Amos Kimunya addressing the press After a Jubilee PG Meeting at KICC on Monday, June 22, 2020.
Kipipiri MP Amos Kimunya addressing the press After a Jubilee PG Meeting at KICC on Monday, June 22, 2020.
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Kipipiri MP Amos Kimunya seems to be having a rough time in his capacity as the National Assembly's majority Leader after chaos erupted during his first meeting.

A report by The Standard on Sunday, July 5, indicated that lawmakers who attended the meeting engaged in a shouting match with others labelling him a dictator.

He had convened the meeting to discuss a list apparently issued by President Uhuru Kenyatta regarding the replacement of Deputy President William Ruto's allies who were ousted from Parliamentary committee leadership roles.

Kimunya reportedly declined any changes that the lawmakers were making to the president's list arguing that it was final.

President Uhuru Kenyatta greets National Assembly Majority leader Amos Kimunya at KICC after Jubilee Parliamentary Group meeting on Monday, June 22, 2020
President Uhuru Kenyatta greets National Assembly Majority leader Amos Kimunya at KICC after Jubilee Parliamentary Group meeting on Monday, June 22, 2020
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The push and pull went on for a while and the majority leader is said to have shouted down the MPs prompting a response where one lawmaker accused him of being a dictator.

“We thought Kimunya had changed and humbled, but the meeting was an indicator that he is the very same Kimunya. He declined to listen to us and adamantly insisted on pushing through the list only for him to eat the humble pie on the floor of the House,” an MP who attended the meeting told the publication.

"It was expected that the meeting would be stormy. But all that I can say is that the Majority Leader will have a big kibarua (duty) going forward because he must consult widely for him to come up with a list that is acceptable to all parties,” added Mwea MP Wachira Kabinga.

In an earlier address to the press, the Kipipiri MP had confirmed that there was tension in the meeting explaining that some of the MPs had joined the meeting with a sense of entitlement.

“There are people who came with the thought that they were coming to pick and place. They came with this mentality that we are now the people to distribute the cake, but the mandate of the committee in placing membership is done in consultation with parties and the parties' leadership.

“When I corrected them on the mandate before us, some of them were a little uneasy, but we finally dealt with the matter amicably," he stated.

Some of the committees' whose leadership was subject to change included the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) and the Committee on Delegated Legislation.

The two were headed by Baringo North MP William Cheptumo and Uasin Gishu Woman Rep Gladys Shollei respectively.

The Budget and Appropriations Committee, which was chaired by Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung'wah, is also touted among committees whose chairmen were facing the axe.

Former Kipipiri MP Amos Kimunya at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi on Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Former Kipipiri MP Amos Kimunya at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi on Wednesday, May 20, 2020
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