Both Keter and Wambilianga were last Tuesday ejected from their seats through a vote of no confidence/COSMUS MWONGELA
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 1 – Bura MP Ali Wario has been elected unopposed to chair the National Assembly Labour and Social Welfare after Nandi MP Alfred Keter failed to defend the post.
Clerk of the National Assembly Micheal Sialai said Keter who was among five Jubilee MPs who were stripped of the leadership positions in various committees had been locked out after he failed to submit his nomination forms before Wednesday’s deadline.
Only Bura MP Ali Wario and Bomet County Woman Representative Joyce Korir had returned the nomination forms.
“If only one candidate is nominated for election as Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson, the Clerk shall at the expiry of the nomination period forthwith declare that candidate as elected without any vote being required. Consequently, Honorable Members by the powers bestowed on me by this Standing Order 179 (12); I wish to gracefully declare Honourable Ali Wario, MP and Honourable Joyce Korir, MP as duly elected chairperson and vice-chairperson of the Labour and Social Welfare Departmental Committee,” Sialai declared.
Wario will be deputised by Bomet County Woman Representative Joyce Korir who was also not challenged for the seat that was last held by Bungoma County Woman Representative Catherine Wambilianga of Ford-Kenya.
“We were called names, we were called puppets and I hope that myth is water under the bridge now. I call my colleagues, we all stand together to work for the Kenyan nation. We have key issues before us; we have the issue of youth empowerment, the issue of protection of the elderly citizen of this nation, we have pending issues of labour relations. We basically have a full tray and we can only address that as a united team,” Wario said.
Keter and his fellow MPs, rushed to the High Court last week and obtained orders stopping their party from removing them from their committees until the case is heard and determined.
In the elections conducted in December last year, Keter floored the Bura MP, who was President Uhuru Kenyatta’s preferred choice for the Committee, while Bungoma County Woman Representative Catherine Wambilianga of Ford-Kenya upset the formbook Korir to secure the vice-chairperson seat.
Both Keter and Wambilianga were last Tuesday ejected from their seats through a vote of no confidence resolution executed by the Jubilee MPs in the House team.
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