TNA digs into ‘past sins’, summons two MPs and senator

The recent summoning of three MPs and several MCAs by The National Alliance (TNA) disciplinary board is a practical case of when history comes to haunt the present.

Although the affected members have already honoured summons by the disciplinary board, it appears that the President’s party has started digging into the past. It has also launched an offensive against its seemingly errant members.

Already, Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria and Nominated Senator Joy Gwendo have appeared before the panel, while Nyeri County MP Priscillah Nyokabi is scheduled to appear before the team chaired by Ms Halima Kiniti on August 21.

Nyokabi was supposed to appear on Thursday, but she was out of the country on official duty.

Sources close to the panel told The Standard on Sunday that Nyokabi was represented by her lawyer, Dennis Muyuri, who apart from asking for a postponement, demanded that his client be served with more requisite documents which will be used in the case.

The accusations against Nyokabi date back to when she served in the civil society before she joined politics. A source intimated that she is accused of ‘fixing’ President Uhuru Kenyatta, his deputy William Ruto and other Kenyans who were accused of having a hand in the 2007 post-election violence.

At the time of the chaos, the MP was serving as the executive director of Kituo cha Sheria, an organisation that was offering legal services to victims of the violence.

Kuria’s charges are in connection to remarks attributed to him, which are believed to have tribal connotations.

Yesterday, Kuria protested over the accusations, saying the party should not delve into matters that are already before a court of law.

“I honoured the summons, but I realised that they were vague. There were no clear accusations against me, and I protested, so my hearing was pushed to Tuesday,” Kuria told The Standard on Sunday.

Kuria also questioned the decision to summon Nyokabi.

“These are matters that came to an end many years ago. Neither the President nor his deputy have complained against Nyokabi,” he said.

He accused the party headquarters of handling issues using the rear view mirror, statin, “It appears they have just realised that Nyokabi committed the wrongs now, while they cleared her to run for her seat on the party ticket and they also handed her a nomination certificate.”

The MP advised that instead of concentrating on the things of the past, the party should be drawing up strategies on effecting the merger with URP and form Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP).

A source close to JAP in Nyeri accused a female candidate who lost to Nyokabi in the TNA nominations of being behind her woes.

“The woman has been leading a vicious anti-Nyokabi campaign. She works in the Nairobi office of an influential person in political circles, making it possible for her to push for Nyokabi’s ejection. It is just a smear campaign,” said the source.

Last year, Nyokabi was summoned by the Nyeri TNA branch for grilling over the allegations, but she did not honour the summons.

The summons followed a spirited campaign against her on the same allegations, in which another loser in the nominations was involved.

Phillip Githua, the Nyeri branch TNA organising secretary, told The Standard on Sunday that after declining to appear before the committee, the office forwarded their recommendations to the headquarters for action.

“The recommendations were that she be removed from parliamentary committees and she withdraw her election certificate or be evicted from the party,” said Githua.

Joseph Mathai, the TNA executive director, confirmed that the allegations against Nyokabi emanated from the Nyeri branch TNA office.

“We are happy that the affected members have honoured the summons and we want to assure them that they will get a fair hearing. We have allowed them to come with their lawyers, and the lawyers must also be TNA party members,” said Mathai.

According to the disciplinary committee vice chairman Dr Washington Makodingo, the disciplinary measures that can be taken against the legislators include expulsion, suspension, removal from parliamentary committees and payment of fines.

They may also be compelled to issue public apologies where this applies.

The committee will decide on the fate of the members within 14 days after completing investigations.

Others to face the disciplinary committee include Members of the County Assembly from Nakuru such as Florence Njoroge, Stephen Kihara, Ngware Ng’ang’a and Francis Njoroge, as well as their Kiambu county counterpart Martin Wachira and TNA Kiambu branch secretary Solomon Ndung’u.