Senator Omanga taken to task over DP ouster remarks
Past utterances against Jubilee Party by Nominated Senator Millicent Omanga returned to haunt her during disciplinary hearing that could see her face punishment.
Appearing before the party’s disciplinary committee yesterday, Omanga was asked to explain what she meant when she said “bring it on baby, bring it on baby” during a press briefing at Parliament Buildings in March to defend Deputy President William Ruto against threats of impeachment by a rival camp of the Jubilee Party.
“We hear that they want to bring a motion to impeach the Deputy President… I want to tell them bring it on baby… bring it on.
We are waiting. Let them bring the impeachment motion,” Omanga had said at the time.
Social media
“What did you mean by saying ‘bring it on baby … bring it on’?” Muchai Lumatete, Jubilee party’s disciplinary committee chairman asked Omanga.
“I was defending our party against perpetrators,” she replied. |
Who are, or were, perpetrators according to you?” posed Lumatete.
“These are people who don’t support our party, Jubilee,” the senator answered.
Challenged to point out the perpetrators, she responded: “They are all over social media. I was just responding to media and social media. It was a social media thing…”
Omanga had appeared before the disciplinary committee after she was summoned over her loyalty to the party for failing to attend a Parliamentary Group meeting convened by President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House two weeks ago.
The meeting resolved to remove Kipchumba Murkomen and Susan Kihika from positions of Leader of Majority and Majority Whip.
Party contributions
She defended her loyalty to the party and declared that she would continue being loyal to the party and its leadership.
“I am loyal to the party. So far I think I’ve paid almost over Sh600,000 to the party since I joined in 2017. I pay Sh20,000 every month to my party to keep it running. I can’t pay if I am not loyal,” she said.
Responding to the question of the disciplinary committee chairman, on whether, she considers an invitation by SMS or electronic means, as it was in this case, an adequate means of invitation to meeting and whether she had previously been invited to any parliamentary business or political party via the same means, she responded:
“I would say it’s not really adequate; because sometimes there are over a hundred messages…it is humanly impossible to go through all of them. It is good sometimes when it is followed by a phone call,” the senator replied.
Omanga is among five nominated senators who are facing expulsion from party for skipping the PG meeting.
Others are Mary Seneta, Falhada Iman, Naomi Jillo, and Victor Prengei who have all appeared before the disciplinary committee and defended their failure to attend the meeting.
No power
Prengei defended his absence to the fact that he had travelled to his rural home and that he received no SMS inviting him to attend the meeting.
“In my village, chairman, we have very poor network coverage, poor road network and no electricity.
My phone was off, so I came to Nakuru to charge my phone… a colleague asked me why I didn’t come to the meeting when I was on my way to Nairobi,” he said.
On opposing the position of the party and whether he takes his position seriously, Prengei responded: “I have never opposed anything the party suggests or decides.
I have never ever missed any other meeting and I’ve always been supporting the party including all the bills and motions that come into the house.”
He added: “I have been loyal to the party and I have never spoken ill of it, I respect the leadership and every other person in the party. I will continue being loyal to the party, will be supporting the agenda of the party.
