Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi now alleges that the State House had a hand in the Senate proceedings on Monday that saw Siaya Deputy Governor William Oduol avoid impeachment.
The majority of senators opposed the motion to oust Oduol from office.
But according to Osotsi, the events witnessed on Monday were “another confirmation that Parliamentary democracy is on trial.”
The legislator told Citizen TV that the 11-member Senate adhoc committee looking into the allegations against Oduol “did a fantastic job, looked at evidence provided by all the parties, and found Oduol culpable.”
Read: Senate Committee Upholds Siaya DG Oduol’s Impeachment
“Seven members voted for the report and only four members decided not to vote for it, because of the phone calls that they got… The Kenya Kwanza team was called into a meeting, phone calls were made and they were told ‘You must ensure that this report is passed’,” said the lawmaker.
“They are our friends, we talk to them. One of the members confided in me that he has even been summoned this morning at State House to explain why he voted the way he did.”
Oduol was being accused of gross violation of the constitution, misuse of public resources, and other laws.
On Monday, 27 senators voted against the impeachment motion while 16 others voted to oust the deputy governor.
Read Also: ODM Expels Siaya DG Oduol Over Disloyalty
However, Uasin Gishu Woman Rep Gladys Shollei who was part of the panel, said her colleague’s utterances were reckless.
“It’s quite reckless to say there were calls from State House. To make such statements on national TV. Implying such wrongdoings on the head of state is a very serious matter. Everybody knows the president’s schedule is jam-packed, so to think he has time to make a phone call over the impeachment of a deputy governor in Siaya is stretching your imagination a little too far,” said Shollei.
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