Shakahola probe: Drama in Senate over visit to Pastor Ezekiel Odero’s church

There was uproar in the Senate on Wednesday afternoon over the controversial trip by the House Ad-hoc committee investigating the Shakahola massacre to Pastor Ezekiel Odero’s church in Kilifi County.

Standing on a point of order, Majority Whip Boni Khalwale demanded answers on why the Danson Mungatana-led committee travelled to Mavueni in Kilifi without the Secretariat and if the trip was paid for by Pastor Ezekiel.

“In the history of this country, no Member of Parliament or a group of Members of Parliament have ever sponsored themselves to undertake the business of the House,” said Khalwale, who threatened to spill the beans on how the trip was procured.

“In order to make us less angry, they are trying to persuade us that they self-sponsored for the rendezvous, I beg that I do not be pushed further.”

However, the committee chair defended himself and the members who travelled to Mavueni claiming they had no time to procure funds to enable the whole team to travel.

“We did not have time that is why the team was ready to travel and come and make the claims later. We did not have the Clerk for the reason that at the time of going we did not have the funds, but we made sure that everything that we observed was captured because I gave the report,” Mungatana told the Senate.

At one point, there was laughter after Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei objected to his name being mentioned by Mungatana as one of those who had attended the meeting.

“This is a very sensitive and emotive matter and dragging the holy name of Senator Cherargei is very dangerous, the Chair should say I was present at the committee in the precincts of Parliament when the witness appeared. I was not present in Mavueni, Kilifi so that people don’t get confused. I was not part of it, please I cannot be among the innocent people who will be crucified with Jesus,” Cherargei quipped.

Mungatana was however adamant that having already been given an extension, it was impossible to get another extension because of budgetary constraints, necessitating them to fast-track their investigations.

“The national forensic laboratory that is under DCI has been frustrated beyond even performance by the very people who are sponsoring negative articles because they know the bombshell we are going to lay in this House, but tell the Executive arm of government that we will expose them for who they are, because they failed the people of Kenya, and it doesn’t matter if you send the government Whip here,” Mungatana retorted.

However, Speaker Amason Kingi ruled that the matter be handled administratively, promising that he has already instituted measures to handle the issue.

“I have already engaged the gears of our administrative offices, its being handled, but safe to say that the integrity of Parliamentary process will always be withheld,” he ruled.