PH
National Assembly Speaker, Justin Muturi has actually greatly slammed resistance leaders for considering unconstitutional methods in their effort to pressure officials of the country’s poll agency out of workplace.
The Speaker said it was wrong for CORD leaders led by Raila Odinga and hundreds of their supporters to storm the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) headquarters’ in Nairobi on Monday in an effort to send them home.
Muturi faulted the CORD Chief and his fellow co-principals Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetang’ula for being guided by ‘blind ambition and anger’, noting that they very well know the proper channels to disband constitutional commissions.
“These leaders know the only proper channel to disband IEBC is through Parliament. It is wrong for them to wake up one morning and decide that mass action will remove IEBC commissioners from office,” he said.
Police officers in the Monday incident lobbed teargas at the CORD leaders breaking up the protests by Cord leaders and their supporters, who had earlier tried to force their way into IEBC offices at Anniversary Towers in Nairobi.
“Article 251 of the Kenyan constitution is very clear on how the removal of a member of a commission or of a holder of an independent office can be conducted. It is only through parliament,” he added.
Muturi clarified that the feared ‘tyranny of numbers’ in the national assembly will not work in the IEBC case if a petition is brought to Parliament, and advised the Cord leaders to bring the matter to parliament.
“The opposition should have no reservation bringing the petition to the house because of their few numbers. The two thirds rule does not apply in the issue, it is only a matter of simple majority,” said the Speaker.
Mr Muturi who was speaking Tuesday at a Nairobi Hotel at the same time took issue with Chief Justice Willy Mutunga for claiming that police officers teargassed peaceful protesters outside the IEBC offices.
