RONGO MP Dalmas Otieno has verbally attacked his Suna East counterpart Junet Mohammed inside Parliament, following calls by the latter that ODM rebels be punished.
Dalmas has announced that he will form his own party that “will bring change to Nyanza”.
Junet on the other hand has been leading calls for his ODM party and Opposition alliance Cord to kick out MPs and MCAs who are not toeing the party and coalition line.
It is understood that the former Cabinet minister exchanged bitter words with Junet inside the Chamber on Wednesday afternoon.
“He walked up to Junet, saying he cannot and will not be intimidated by the Suna East MP,” said an MP who watched the seething drama unfold on the floor of the House while the live coverage television cameras focused on the debate on the list of prospective appointees to the National Cohesion and Integration Commission.
Dalmas, according to an MP who witnessed the incident, vowed to ensure that Junet does not recapture hisseat. “He told Junet that he will ensure that he does not regain his seat at the next election,” said the MP.
Yesterday the Rongo MP confirmed that he had an exchange with Junet. “There was nothing bitter about it,” said Otieno.
On his part, Junet said he was surprised by the attack and stood his ground that ODM should deal with rebels.
“You cannot be promoting another party called Kalausi and continue to purport to be in ODM or Cord. We are better off remaining as a minority of two instead of carrying along many people who have in reality left us,” Junet exclaimed.
Yesterday ODM wrote to two MPs, Gideon Mung’aro and Zainab Chidzuga, to show cause why disciplinary action should not be taken against them.
The two have been working cooperatively with the ruling Jubilee and have openly opposed party and Cord positions, including calls for a referendum. Mung’aro was last week replaced as Cord minority chief whip in the National Assembly.
Some Coast leaders in the Opposition have threatened to withdraw their support for Cord if Kilifi North MP Mung’aro is not reinstated as whip.
Yesterday, Chidzuga denied claims that she has been promised land by the Jubilee government in exchange for her continuing support.
“The only promise that was made to us was the issuance of title deeds, which has been a Number One priority of the Jubilee government to improve the lives of citizens,” she noted.
Chidzuga said that the issue of land is not meant to benefit leaders but the locals who elected them, accusing senior ODM and Cord member Jakoyo Midiwo of making utterances to the contrary.
She said that Coast leaders are disturbed by the decision to drop Mung’aro as whip without giving him a chance to defend himself.
“Before making any decision, the Coalition principals should have done investigations,” she said.
Chidzuga said although they are still in Cord, their stand will remain unchanged – that their colleague Mung’aro was removed without justification.
She welcomed Wundanyi MP Thomas Mwadeghu as the new Cord minority chief whip, saying that they will work with him.
Chidzuga also defended the rebels’ visit to State House, saying it was organized after President Uhuru Kenyatta failed to attend two events in the region.
Uhuru was to preside over a funds drive at Manguda Primary School and an Iftar dinner at Leisure Lodge in Diani-Kwale.
- the-star.co.ke
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