Wetangula on the spot after Sudi, Barasa skip 86 House sessions

Speaker Moses Wetangula is on the spot for failing to take action on two Members of Parliament who have skipped more than eight sittings as stipulated by law.

MPs Oscar Sudi (Kapseret) and Didmas Barasa (Kimilili) have skipped over 86 sittings which clearly puts them in a collision course with the law.

Records in the National Assembly indicate that Sudi last appended his signature on the attendance list on November 9, 2023 during the State of the Nation address by President William Ruto.

Barasa has also taken his colleague’s cue and has not attended any sitting this current session and is said to be holed in his Bungoma County laying ground on the guber-natorial position.

On Sunday, May 26, Sudi in his own admission confirmed that he has not been attending parliament sessions because he is always out of the country making money deals.

Kenya’s Constitution stipulates that a seat shall be declared vacant if a member skips eight sessions without notifying the Speaker of their absence. A session starts every second week of February and ends every first week of December.

“The office of a Member of Parliament becomes vacant if the member dies or if, during any session of Parliament, the member is absent from eight sittings of the relevant House without permission, in writing, from the Speaker, and is unable to offer a satisfactory explanation for the absence to the relevant committee.”

House Standing Orders state that if a Member fails to attend four consecutive sittings of a committee without the written permission of the chairperson or the permission of the Speaker, the MP shall be replaced with the approval of the House.

Clerk of the National Assembly Samuel Njoroge however defended Sudi saying his records indicate that he has not missed the eight consecutive seats.

“We do not go by what politicians say out there. As far as we are concerned the said member has been attending sittings,” maintained Njoroge even after being told to refer to the MPs own admission that he does not attend parliament.

The Clerk stated that the process of removing a member is well stipulated in the standing orders and that the two members have not acted against the law. “Standing Or-der 258 states that if during any Session, a Member is absent from eight sittings of the National Assembly without permission, in writing from the Speaker, the Speaker shall report the matter to the National Assembly and the matter shall stand referred to the Committee of Privileges for hearing and determination,” he explained.

Further, the Committee of Privileges shall inquire into a matter referred to it under paragraph (1) within fourteen days from the date the matter is referred to it and shall thereupon submit a report to the House.

“If the report of the Committee finds that the Member has offered a satisfactory explanation for the Member’s absence from eight sittings of the National Assembly with-out the permission in writing from the Speaker, there shall be no further proceedings in the House in respect of the matter,” reads the Standing order.

Personal business

A section of his constituents now want the lawmaker to resign and concentrate on his personal business and that they regretted voting for him, arguing that he had failed to represent them properly.

The residents have faulted Sudi over his remarks that he hardly attends parliamentary sittings and asked him to resign as MP.

“I don’t go to parliament, I’m busy cutting deals to make money that I give to my constituents and the less fortunate,”

Asked why he has not been attending parliamentary sittings, Baraza claimed that the Speaker was aware of his situation.

“I’m busy in my constituency, I was elected to represent my people both in parliament and at the constituency,” he told People Daily.

Academic qualifications

Since President Ruto took office in August 2022, the Kapseret MP who also has issues with his academic qualifications a matter which is currently in court mutated into a king “Mr fix it” of the Kenya Kwanza kitchen matters and has become an omnipresent figure in major Presidential appearances both official and private.

The youthful MP wields a lot of power which is causing ripples within the political circles mainly in his own Rift Valley backyard where new MPs are crying over what they term as interference with their constituencies by Sudi.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua also tasted Sudi’s wrath last week after he attempted to come to the MP’s aid urging the Kapseret man to respect his colleagues.

Sudi warned that he could not be cowed by the second in command. He said that he cannot control where he goes or how he handles his political affairs.

“You cannot control where I go. If we all stayed in our respective constituencies then we could not be in government. We had to fly all over the country to ask Kenyans to elect this government. I am not someone you can threaten. I have been threatened enough and this does not move me,” Sudi told the DP.