Lang’ata MP Felix Odiwuor Jalang’o was earlier today forcibly blocked from attending an ongoing Azimio One Kenya coalition parliamentary group meeting at Maanzoni Lodge in Machakos County in an apparent tiff with coalition’s leadership for recently attending the Nyanza legislators meet hosted by president William Ruto at State House Nairobi.
In a show of depicting backward intolerance to bipartisan approach regarding developmental oriented cooperation between the rival Kenya Kwanza and Azimio coalitions, Jalang’o was shoved off at the entrance by heavily built men reminiscent to hired Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) goons infamously known as ‘Men in Black’.
Dramatic scenes played out as an almost physical commotion was witnessed at the facility this morning after a group of men blocked Jalang’o from accessing the meeting hall.
After the brief commotion, the apparently subdued Member of Parliament was allowed in, only to be sent away minutes later.
Speaking to the press after being kicked out, Jalang’o claimed that a member of Raila Odinga’s security asked him to leave the hall.
“I feel bad. You know I love Baba… I am a member of ODM,” he said.
“I can’t regret meeting Ruto, I had gone there on my own capacity, and he called me for development issues,” Jalang’o explained.
Asked whether he would apologise for taking a different direction from his party, Jalang’o said; “There is no apology about it, I went there for development.”
“I am still in Azimio, I am still a member of ODM. This is politics,” he added.
The Lang’ata legislator visited State House on Monday in the company of other MPs including; Gideon Ochanda (Bondo), Elisha Odhiambo (Gem), Mark Nyamita (Uriri), Caroli Omondi (Suba South), Shakeel Shabir (Kisumu East, Independent), Paul Abuor (Rongo), John Owino (Awendo) and Kisumu Senator Tom Ojienda.
Already Migori Senator Eddy Oketch has penned a letter to ODM party, recommending the dismissal of its Members of Parliament (MPs) who met President William Ruto in State House on Tuesday.
Senator Oketch, in the letter addressed to ODM Chairman John Mbadi and Secretary General Edwin Sifuna on Thursday, wants the legislators expelled on grounds of violating Section 14 of the Political Parties Act which he says caused “immense embarrassment” to the party and its leadership.
Section 14A (1) dictates that a member may be deemed to have resigned from a political party if they promote the ideology, interests or policies of another political party.
“The aforementioned party members have shown close association with a different Political Party whereupon they have been captured by the media appearing together with both the Party Leader and the Deputy Party Leader of the United Democratic Alliance Party whose ideologies, interests and policies they have been promoting from within the Orange Democratic Movement Party,” the letter reads in part.
