This archive report was first published on 15 July 2020.
On July 15, 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta orchestrated a purge that saw 16 MPs allied to Deputy President William Ruto removed from key House committees.
Among those affected was Kimani Ichung’wa, a second-time Kikuyu lawmaker who was de-whipped from the Budget and Appropriations Committee.
Ichung’wa has been slotted into the Member Services Committee, previously known as the Catering Committee, which is currently chaired by Nyaribari Masaba MP Ezekiel Machogu.
Ichung’wa welcomed his inclusion into the Member Services Committee, stating, “I thank the Majority Leader and Majority Whip for the opportunity to serve in the Member Services Committee, which was previously known as the Catering Committee… these services include virtual sittings in this age of COVID-19 to help elderly members like Baba of Parliament Jimmy Nuru Angwenyi and Maina Kamanda, to continue serving their constituents… This is also the committee that oversees the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC),”
Minority Whip in the National Assembly Junet Mohamed dismissed talk of Ruto brigade being demoted and placed in perceived inferior committees, saying, “There is nothing like a lucrative committee… I know Ichung’wa is a committed member who will serve very well in the Catering Committee. Under corona, there are no services being given in the House, but when we return, I will blame Hon. Ichung’wa if the quality of my tea and mandazi goes down,”
The Member Services Committee includes other Ruto diehards such as Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua, Kesses lawmaker Swarup Mishra, Tharaka Nithi Woman Representative Beatrice Nyaga, and Lang’ata MP Nixon Korir.
