DP Ruto’s allies Murkomen and Kihika kicked out of Senate leadership

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee party has kicked out Ruto allies in new changes made to the Jubilee senate.

KANU’s West Pokot Senator Samuel Poghisio has replaced Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen as the Majority leader in the Senate.

Poghisio will be deputised by Isiolo Senator Fatuma Dillo.

Another Ruto ally and Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika has been replaced as Majority Whip by Murang’a senator Irungu Kang’ata who will be deputised by nominated senator Farhiya Ali.

The new changes come just a day after President Uhuru Kenyatta summoned a senate parliamentary group meeting at State House.

The president had invoked his powers as the Jubilee Party leader that allowed him to summon a meeting of any organ of the party at any time.

The outcome of the meeting was the ouster of Senators Murkomen and Kihika who have been accused of sabotaging the president’s agenda in what insiders call gross insubordination.

The meeting came against the backdrop of a post-election coalition deal inked and deposited at the Registrar of Political parties between the Jubilee Party and KANU.

This will now allow KANU to sit in house committees and attend Jubilee’s parliamentary group meetings.

President Uhuru Kenyatta in a statement from State House congratulated the new appointees, saying he was looking forward to working with them to deliver service to Kenyans.

The changes were however met with opposition by Ruto allies who took to social media to criticise the move, terming it as a gross violation of the party’s constitution.

Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria claimed that the new changes were a shade of the rigging that Jubilee orchestrated in 2013.

Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot said that there were no photos of the State House meeting, claiming that 23 senators out of the 35 Jubilee senators had kept away.

“You will never see photos of the purported Jubilee Senators PG for the very simple reason that NUMBERS do not lie. Of the 35 Jubilee Senators, 23 kept off. What has befallen the ruling party ? Amidst a global health pandemic, we are engaged in such monkey business ?’ He wrote.