Awkward shows in House as MPs axed for being on wrong side

Loneliness is a terrible feeling. It’s even worse when you’re taunted by those determined to keep you in solitude.

The fast-talking Member of Parliament from Ugenya David Ochieng’ may just have been the perfect witness to this fact.

His return to the august House last year, having trounced former MP Christopher Karani in a by-election, may have been the most gratifying moment but last Tuesday’s sitting is one he will be losing sleep over for the next few days.

The minority coalition, National Super Alliance, had reportedly been conducting some “contact tracing” as claimed by its leader, Suba South MP John Mbadi.

Ochieng’, who had successfully camouflaged within the coalition, was among the many isolated as ‘potentially infectious substances’.

So successfully he blended that no one had noticed he held a position as a member within Health Committee and that he occupied a slot reserved for the minority side.

But they eventually found him out and members from both sides of the aisle ganged up to kick him out of the said committee.

His predicament was best captured by the phrase ‘mnyonge hana haki’ as he would find out that his Movement for Democracy and Growth party was a boat lost at sea.

Democracy, despite being engraved in the party’s name, appeared to be speaking the language of his oppressors. The minority had their say and they didn’t want him on their side.

“If we do contact tracing and we find you in a political corner that we are not comfortable with… we must isolate you and we must quarantine you,” began Mbadi.

And when they were done with him, the majority came in to have their way.

“The weatherman – what he is predicting, politically, doesn’t look favourable,” Leader of Majority Aden Duale weighed in on the matter.

Blame himself

For his woes, he had no one else to blame but himself, as he had raised the matter on the floor when everyone was all about their business.

Perhaps, he may have thought that talking as fast as he does, no one would have heard a word of what he said. He was wrong.

If you felt sorry for Ochieng’, you must have shed a tear for his Kiminini colleague Chris Wamalwa who found himself in a similar spot on Thursday. Well, it may have been after a bout of uncontrollable laughter but all the same, tears must have been shed.

It had everything to do with Suna East MP Junet Mohamed who made Wamalwa his pet subject for the day, taunting him almost to tears.

“The ousted Deputy Minority Leader (Whip)… should not continue masquerading as the Deputy Minority Leader (Whip),” Junet began, adding, “and he should start collecting his items from the office as soon as possible....” bursting into laughter as he sat down.

Unable to bear the humiliation, the Kiminini MP struck back with an emotional sermon.

“Leadership comes from God… one door closes, another one opens,” he responded as he spoke of his 2022 gubernatorial ambitions.

“I was more worried of Duale,” he said of a man who had recently survived the axe before lashing out at Junet for being a “comedian” with little respect to others.