Keter says he will continue to mobilise MPs to sign Waiguru’s impeachment motion after 17 MPs withdrew their signatures.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 22 – Speaker of the National Assembly Justin Muturi has declined to approve a motion by Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter which sought to impeach Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru.
Muturi said he could not approve the impeachment motion because it had only 80 signatures, way below the required threshold.
However, Keter says he will continue to mobilise MPs to sign Waiguru’s impeachment motion after 17 MPs withdrew their signatures.
Keter said he is in the process of getting six more MPs to support his motion which could be debated next week before the House goes on a two week recess.
“I want to state clearly that I am on course, no one is going to intimidate me, no one is going to threaten me, no one is going to bribe me because we must stick to this cause and fight corruption and I call upon members to sober up and come to join me in the war against corruption so that we can move together as a country,” he said.
Keter has of late drawn the ire of his coalition leaders led by Deputy President William Ruto who ordered him to stop being misused by the Opposition to destabilise the government and instead seek their guidance on issues of national importance.
But the first-time MP rubbished the claim saying that his motion is in line with President Uhuru Kenyatta’s speech when he addressed a joint sitting of Parliament in April where he challenged MPs to play their part in the war against corruption.
During the sitting President Kenyatta tabled names senior government officials including Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Governors and parastatal heads who were suspected of being implicated in graft dealing.
Keter added: “Jubilee (Coalition) cannot take a position as a party towards supporting someone who is corrupt. Everyone must step aside, the President was very clear, he stated very clearly that anybody whose docket has anything to do with corruption must step aside and once cleared will resume office and that is the minimum that we are expecting of anybody who is being accused of any issue.”
Keter needed 88 MPs to support his motion before it is tabled in the House.
The Nandi Hills MP told a news conference that MPs had been intimidated into withdrawing while others had been offered Sh1 million.
“I want to encourage the members of the public that they should pray for me, as I go through many challenges, where MPs are being intimidated other are being threatened. Corruption must fight back, so the dark forces are coming back to Parliament to see those members who had signed, unfortunately we have lost many of them, they are promised that if they withdraw their signatures you will get a million shillings, but that is not an issue that will be an obstacle to my intention to move a motion.”
Ninety seven MPs had appended their signatures on the motion but 17 MPs withdrew support.
Grounds cited for the motion are gross violation of the Constitution in the management of the National Youth Service, leading to loss of public funds and financial irregularities among others.
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