Chaos rocked the Baringo County Assembly yesterday during debate on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) constitutional amendment Bill.
Police lobbed tear gas canisters immediately after the document was shot down by a majority of the members.
Some 30 Jubilee Party MCAs voted against the Bill, while 11 others allied to independence party Kanu voted in its favour. The assembly has 45 MCAs with 32 from the ruling party. The independence party has 10 members. There are two independents and one ODM ward rep.
BBI: Drama as chaos erupts at Baringo County Assembly
Jubilee-Kanu rivalry played out during the session to consider the Bill that was tabled by the legal committee chair Charles Kosgei.
During the tabling of the Bill, a scuffle ensued after Mr Kosgei slapped his Kabarnet ward counterpart who tried to grab the microphone from him.
The assembly sergeants-at-arms, who were overwhelmed, had to seek the help of the police to quell chaos that almost turned the House into a battlefield.
In this file picture members of the public are seen outside the Baringo County Assembly precincts.
Photo credit: Florah Koech | Nation Media Group
The voting went on smoothly but at the close, the chaos recurred again when police lobbed tear gas canisters into the assembly chambers before the results were announced by the Speaker.
Immediately after he announced the results and adjourned sittings until Tuesday, he was whisked away to safety by his security officer through the window.
Jubilee MCAs who voted overwhelmingly against the document accused the county commissioner of using security officers to intimidate them after they failed to comply with the party dictates.
Tenges ward MCA said that despite the intimidation, they managed to speak on behalf of the electorate by shooting down the Bill.
Outside the assembly precincts, hundreds of locals chanted in celebration after news of the document’s rejection.
The incident happens a day after the more than 31 Jubilee allied MCAs were summoned to the party headquarters by secretary-general Raphael Tuju.
Details have emerged that Mr Tuju directed the 12 nominated MCAs to support the document or risk losing their jobs.
At least 24 county assemblies must pass the Constitutional Amendment Bill for it to proceed to Parliament.
The party has rolled out a Sh2m grant to the MCAs, but it also threatened yesterday to punish nominated ward reps in Baringo County if they go against what Mr Tuju called the party position.
“We want to put it clear to whoever is trying to dictate how we do things in Baringo that this won’t work. Whatever the threats, we are going to stop this much hyped Reggae. Take our word,” Baringo majority leader Lawi Tallam told the Nation.
Outspoken Mochongoi MCA Kipruto Kimosop warned party officials against dictating to MCAs what they should do on pertinent matters.
“We have basically rejected the threats and intimidation from Tuju and we can only take instructions from the electorate who voted us in. We have a right to choose what is good for us and Kenyans as well,” said Mr Kimosop.
