National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gladys Shollei has challenged Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo to resign, noting that the Wiper Democratic Movement senator was negative and offering no solutions to the mistakes he points out in the government.

In a charged interview on a local TV station on Monday, November 4, 2024, Shollei questioned why Maanzo continued collecting his salary in the senate if he believed that the legislature was under state capture.

“I am challenging you, please resign as a senator. If you are an honourable man, please resign because you don’t believe in the institution,” Shollei said.

Adding: “Senator, I’m getting worried sitting next to you because you are very toxic and very negative. Everything is bad but you are not giving any solutions.”

The remarks came after Maanzo stated that the two arms of government- the Judiciary and the legislature were under the control of the executive.

Maanzo decried that the impeached former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua was condemned unheard due to the machinations of the Executive.

“There is no legislature in the country anymore, the legislature is under capture, the Judiciary is under intimidation,” Maanzo said.

Adding: “Rigathi Gachagua was never given the opportunity to be heard. The constitution was not broken but bent and every loophole within the law was utilised to kick out Gachagua.”

Won’t resign

In his defence, Maanzo retorted that he would not resign from his position and would continue speaking against the government, noting that major projects in the Kenya Kwanza manifesto like the housing programme, health insurance and the university funding model had been wrongly implemented.

“I have a reason why I cannot resign. There is no opposition in the country. If everybody who is dissatisfied with the government resigns, cowers and goes away and does not speak against it, then the nation is finished,” Maanzo said.

“The biggest problem in Kenya is promises that are never honoured by the presidency,” he added.

Maanzo observed that members of parliament had initiated an onslaught against Gachagua right from the very onslaught in 2022 and that he remained a marked man until his ouster by the Senate on October 17, 2024.

During the swearing-in of Deputy President Kithure Kindiki on November 1, 2024, President William Ruto revealed that he had been a lonely man single-handedly popularising government policies and projects.

He urged Kindiki to use his fluency and public service experience to help him achieve his promises in the next three years.