Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale was dramatically ejected from the Senate chambers on Tuesday evening after claiming that former President Uhuru Kenyatta intervened to secure the release of two Kenyans activists previously detained in Uganda.
The confrontation erupted after Khalwale likened the fate of Kenyans stranded abroad to the case of political activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, who were arrested in Uganda. He accused the current government of doing nothing about the matter.
“On this issue of these children who are locked up out of the country, they are no different from the two Kenyan political activists who were locked up in Uganda. It disturbs me that it took the intervention of the former president and not the current president,” Khalwale alleged.
His remarks sparked an immediate uproar in the chamber. Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei rose on a point of order, demanding that Khalwale produce evidence to back the claim that Uhuru Kenyatta intervened in Njagi and Oyoo’s case.
“Mr Speaker, you know we must stick to the rules. When the Senator… goes on record and says that the former President intervened for the release of Kenyans, can he provide the evidence before this House?” Cherargei pressed.
He went further, adding: “We don’t want hearsays from some dens in Ikolomani coming to Senate. He should make such hearsays there in Kakamega and stay there, don’t bring those things here.”
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Senate Speaker Amason Kingi supported Cherargei’s call, directing Khalwale to offer proof “beyond reasonable doubt” that Uhuru indeed intervened to help the detained activists.
But Khalwale refused to back down. He insisted that matters discussed outside the Senate chamber did not require substantiation.
“From my experience, Cherargei should know that a ruling has been made that a member is not expected to substantiate the obvious,” Khalwale argued.
Kingi repeatedly pressed the Chief Whip to substantiate his allegations, but Khalwale fell silent. The Speaker then ordered him to either withdraw his remark and apologize or face the consequences.
“If you cannot substantiate, the other option is not to keep quiet… If you cannot substantiate, you proceed to withdraw and apologise,” Kingi ruled.
Khalwale refused, maintaining that he spoke under the protection of freedom of speech. His defiance prompted the Speaker to take action.
“You are choosing to stay silent; therefore… I will rule you out of order and ask you to leave the chamber,” Kingi declared.
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