President William Ruto’s allies secured most of the leadership positions in Senate committees yesterday, while opposition leader Raila Odinga’s camp managed to clinch a few. The biggest casualties in the reshuffle were former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s allies, who were ousted from key leadership roles, making way for members affiliated with Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
Tensions also flared within the Senate Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT) Committee, where some senators threatened to walk out unless newly elected chair Allan Chesang (Trans Nzoia) stepped up his leadership.
In a blunt critique, Kwale Senator Boy Issa Juma revealed that several committee members had been reluctant to attend the election meeting due to doubts over Chesang’s ability to lead after a lacklustre performance in the past.
“I did not even want to be part of this committee. I don’t even know how I was nominated here. But the truth is, we have a problem in this committee, and we need to fix it,” Juma stated.
