Sifuna, Mungatana clash in TV interview over 'President Ruto is a liar' remarks

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and his Tana River counterpart Danson Mungatana on Thursday got into a heated debate during a TV interview after the former referred to President William Ruto as a liar.

Speaking on Citizen TV's Day Break show, Sifuna who is under the opposition ODM party, said he could not bear listening to Ruto during the State of the Nation address since all he did was tell lies and nonfactual statements.

Mungatana, a legislator under Ruto’s UDA party, cut Sifuna short in defence of the president, condemning the Nairobi Senator for what he called a lack of respect for elders.

“He is trying to conflate my decision not to sit there and listen to Ruto’s lies during the presidential debate-,” Sifuna said, to which Mungatana retorted; “Let’s be parliamentary.”

Sifuna was however quick to dismiss the Tana River senator, saying they were not in parliament and thus being ‘parliamentary’ was not expected of him in a TV interview.

“We are not in parliament; how can we be parliamentary? We are on TV! Kingi is not here to protect you,” Sifuna said, referring to Senate Speaker Amason Kingi.

“You can’t say-,” Mungatana tried to interject, but Sifuna quipped; “I can say. Who says I cannot?”

Mungatana took an issue with Sifuna saying President Ruto told lies, saying it was disrespectful to say that of an elder person according to his Pokomo customs.

“It is the English language. If something is not true, it is called a lie. We are not here under Pokomo customary law!” Sifuna shot.

Mungatana went on; “This is not an ODM public rally. You cannot come here and start calling the president a liar. Have some respect!”

“Sifuna should respect people. You cannot say the president is telling lies. If people are older than you.”

“The president is a liar! I can say that a hundred times,” the Nairobi senator said.