Kakamega Senator, Boni Khalwale, was compelled to withdraw his statement at the Senate after he threatened to confront his Nairobi counterpart Edwin Sifuna in a heated exchange over the allocation of funds to county governments.
While making his submission at the Senate on Thursday, August 3, Sifuna faulted the pro-government senators for rejecting a clause in the Division of Revenue Act (DORA) which sought to increase the funds from Ksh385 billion to Ksh407 billion for the 2023/2024 financial year.
He also wondered why 22 senators voted against the clause while simultaneously advocating for additional resources to facilitate their respective county governments.
"If this House had agreed with the earlier report of the Finance Committee and voted for Ksh407 billion, Nairobi would be hitting almost Ksh22 billion from the current Ksh20 billion. To hear lamentation from my colleagues who voted against this does not make sense to me," Sifuna, an opposition politician allied to the Azimio coalition, stated.
However, Khalwale, a member of the ruling coalition Kenya Kwanza, refuted Sifuna's remarks, pointing out a significant increase of Ksh15 billion in the amount allocated to counties.
"Doesn't he know that the bill raised the money from Ksh370 billion to Ksh385 billion, and all arrears from the handshake government was cleared?" Khalwale posed and trolled Sifuna for being allied to the opposition leader, Raila Odinga.
In March 2018, Odinga shook hands with former President Uhuru Kenyatta in a gentleman's agreement. The truce ended wrangling between the opposition and the previous regime and culminated in Uhuru supporting Raila in his fifth stab for the presidency in the 2022 General Election.
However, the opposition leader lost to incumbent President William Ruto, who has constantly accused the Handshake brothers of sabotaging the economy.
Sifuna, nonetheless, hit back at Khalwale, arguing that the National Assembly, one of the bicameral houses of Parliament, is credited for increasing the Ksh15 billion to the funds allocated to counties.
"It is a fact that the National Assembly and not Senate passed the Ksh15 billion additional funds. We did not add a single shilling," Sifuna, who also acts as the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) secretary general, responded. ODM is allied to the Azimio coalition.
In his rejoinder, Khalwale argued that the Division of Revenue Act (DORA) could not be signed into law without the approval of both Houses and that the Senate played an active role in the decision-making process.
"I'm sick and tired of new senators giving the impression of we don't know what we're doing. We have worked. I don't earn a free salary," he countered, visibly irritated.
The debate heated up after Senate Speaker Amason Kingi intervened and ordered Sifuna to withdraw a statement specifically referring to Senators as 'people' rather than 'honourable Senators'.
Sifuna obliged, but Khalwale, displeased by the opposition politician, dared Speaker Kingi to allow them to duel, arguing that he would emerge victorious. He, however, withdrew the statement in line with the Speaker's orders.
"Under Standing Order 122, that speaks to Disorderly Conduct, a senator that declines to offer apology is engaged in disorderly conduct," Khalwale read the Senate guidelines.
"I cannot be voted for by 300,000 people in Kakamega and come here and be made a figure of the kind of picture that Sifuna is painting. If you allow me here, I will fix him, and it will be sorted out," he added and also claimed that he would confront Sifuna outside Parliament rather than in the House.
Sifuna, after being allowed to continue with his presentation, asked the Speaker to protect him from the pro-government allies. The row between the two senators emerged amid plans between the government and the opposition to seek a truce.
President William Ruto and the opposition leader, Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, selected a ten-member team to represent them in the talks that will be mediated by the former Nigerian head of state, Olusegun Obasanjo.
Among the issues set to be discussed are the reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), implementation of the 2/3 gender rule and entrenchment of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
