Johanna Ng'eno Kicked Out of KANU

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Emurua Dikir MP Johanna Ng'eno addresses a rally in Narok in 2019
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The Kenya African National Union (KANU) on Tuesday, September 8, announced the expulsion of Emurua Dikir MP Johanna Ng'eno from the party.

The announcement was made by party Secretary General Nick Salat at a press conference in which he was flanked by several other officials.

Salat stated that Ng'eno had crossed a line, referencing the lawmaker's speech on Sunday, September 6. Hate speech charges were preferred against him by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on Tuesday, September 8.

The MP went viral with scathing criticism of President Uhuru Kenyatta and the wider Kenyatta family.

Kanu Secretary General Nick Salat (centre) and Kanu stalwarts in a June 2018 picture.
Kanu Secretary-General Nick Salat (centre) addressing the media in June 2018.
The Standard

Announcing the expulsion, Salat stated that Ng'eno was welcome to contest for his Parliamentary seat on a different party ticket.

"The time has come for KANU to part ways [with Johanna Ng'eno]," Salat declared.

Once effected, the expulsion would mean that Ng'eno would lose his Parliamentary seat. If his seat is declared vacant, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) would be required to conduct a by-election.

Ng'eno, however, faces the option of mounting a legal challenge against his expulsion.

For lawmakers including Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa and Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala, the courts offered respite when they were faced with real threats of losing their seats.

Jumwa was kicked out of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) in March 2019 after openly supporting Deputy President William Ruto's 2022 Presidential bid.

Malala, on the other hand, was kicked out of the Amani National Congress (ANC) in June 2020, after delegates found him guilty of disloyalty and gross misconduct.

“The party has decided to expel Senator Malala after deliberations with the National Governing Council. The Senator has been prejudicing the activities of the party and has been disloyal.

“Malala has also not shown up before the committee to answer to the charges against him. He has blatantly disobeyed the orders given by the disciplinary committee,” a statement from ANC read in part.

In both cases, however, the expelled lawmakers found respite in the judicial system which countered their partys' decisions.

The Political Parties Tribunal in March 2019 extended conservatory orders barring ODM from expelling Jumwa from the party pending the hearing and determination of the complaint she lodged at the tribunal.

In Malala's case, the Office of the Registrar Political Parties (ORPP) revoked the expulsion of Malala citing what it described as 'process gaps'.

“The disciplinary proceedings were not concluded within the stipulated timelines under article 49 of the ANC Party Constitution.

"The National Governing Council did not approve the disciplinary committee as reconstituted by the National Executive Council (NEC),” read in part a statement issued by the ORPP on July 7, 2020.

Watch a report from the KANU press conference below:

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