Former Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen was forced to apologise during a special Parliamentary meeting after referring to President Uhuru Kenyatta as a liar.
In a spirited tirade after Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka upheld his ouster from the powerful seat, the lawmaker claimed that the president had lied to the Senate after promising to provide them with oversight funds.
"Murkomen is out of the way if I was your stumbling block. Deliver for the people of Kenya.
"Mr Speaker, I want to tell the president, stop lying to the Senate. You told us you would give us oversight funds. Bring the oversight funds to the Senate if Murkomen was the stumbling block," stated the Elgeyo-Marakwet Senator.
His utterances captured the attention of a number of senators who were in attendance with his Siaya counterpart James Orengo demanding for him to withdraw his statement.
"I heard Senator Murkomen state unequivocally that the president should stop lying to the nation and he should now deliver the things he had promised.
"Mr Speaker, is it in order for him to run away from his statement? Mr Speaker, I urge you that if he cannot withdraw his statements now, we can look at the proceedings this afternoon or tomorrow and he should accordingly withdraw and apologise," demanded Orengo.
Lusaka, on his part, he informed Murkomen about the house's Standing Order No.96 which states "Neither the personal conduct of the President, nor the conduct of the Speaker or of any judge, nor the judicial conduct of any other person performing judicial functions, nor any conduct of the Head of State or Government or the representative in Kenya of any friendly country or the conduct of the holder of an office whose removal from such office is dependent upon a decision of the Senate shall be referred to adversely, except upon a specific substantive Motion of which at least three days’ notice has been given."
Acknowledging the Standing Orders, the former Majority Leader clarified that he did not mean the president was a liar.
"I am aware of the standing order. I am very clear in my debate. I just want to conclude by saying that I hope by removing me and Senator Susan Kihika unprocedurally and unconstitutionally will improve the relationship between this house and the National Assembly," he stated.
During his rant, Murkomen had also hinted that the State House meeting flouted Covid-19 rules claiming that some 20 people congregated to oust him against a gathering prohibition of not more than 15 people.
He further challenged the president to hasten service delivery now that he was out of the post.
"I want to say to the President: Now, therefore, deliver for the people of Kenya, Murkomen is out of the way. If I was your stumbling block, deliver for the people of Kenya," he stated.
He also alleged that Lusaka made the announcement under duress with total disregard of the law in that no signatures and no list of Senators who attended the State House meeting was availed.
