Nominated Senator Millicent Omanga has said she did not receive any invitation to attend Jubilee Party’s Parliamentary Group meeting.
Omanga, while appearing before the party’s disciplinary committee on Wednesday, said she has been looking for the said invite but hasn’t seen it.
“Mr Chair I still maintain that I did not receive any invite and no one made a follow up to know whether all the senators had received it. I have over 7,000 messages on my phone, I have been trying to find the said invite but all has been in vain,” she said.
“As I have always said, I will continue to support the party and the government to deliver on its mandate. Personally, though I have not apologised to the party leadership on why I did not attend the meeting, I presented my case to the whip,” she said.
Omanga argued that she uses post-paid services on her phone and getting some communication when the services are cut of is a problem.
Omanga is among five nominated senators who were served with show-cause letters for snubbing a Senate PG convened by President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House on May 11.
Others are Falhada Dekow , Jillo Waqo, Victor Prengei and Mary Seneta.Five possible replacements for ‘defiant’ Jubilee senatorsNominated senators facing expulsion, set to appear before disciplinary committee.News1 week ago
The five risk expulsion from the party if the committee finds them guilty of misconduct.
The State House meeting okayed the axing of Senators Kipchumba Murkomen and Susan Kihika as Majority Leader and Chief Whip respectively.
Murkomen was replaced by Senator Samuel Poghisio (West Pokot) while Irungu Kangata (Murang’a) took over from Kihika.
According to the law, Jubilee will not be required to submit fresh names to replace the nominate senators, but will use the party list submitted to IEBC before the last polls.
According to the list, the next nominees in line are Caroline Daudi, Jelagat Kamuren and Beatrice Gambo who are all listed as business women.
Others are former Jubilee vice-chair (strategy) Veronica Maina and Wambui Nyutu, a member of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission.
Jubilee secretary general Raphael Tuju had said the party will give the senators a fair opportunity to defend themselves.”It is a court process like any other court proceedings. If you do not go through it the right way then the outcome can be found wanting and be challenged in a court,” he said on Tuesday.
Tuju said that the committee will deliberate and make a decision soon on the fate of the senators.
Tuju had told off the embattled senators relaying their apologies through the media to instead face the disciplinary team.
Omanga in her defence said she has remained loyal to the party and its leadership since the launch of its manifesto and she has no reason to snub a meeting called by its patron.
Currently Senator Victor Pringei is appearing before the committee.
