Three Ford Kenya rebel MPs have defied the party’s disciplinary committee summons.
The party’s former chairman and Turkana Senator John Munyes, MPs Khatib Mwashetani (Lunga Lunga) and Nicholas Ngikor (Turkana East) on Thursday failed to appear before the committee instituted to investigate their conduct.
The leaders were expected to defend themselves for abandoning their sponsor party and joining President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party ahead of next year’s polls.
The committee chaired by Lwande Oneko spent the better part of the day waiting for the leaders who failed to show up.
The party said it had served the rebels with summon letters on September 15 so they could explain why the party should not delist them from its membership register.
“We came here today to deliberate with them why disciplinary action should not be taken against them,” said Mr Oneko at the party headquarters in Nairobi.
According to the committee, they expected Mr Munyes to appear at 10 in the morning before Mwashetani and Ngikor who were expected by noon and 2pm respectively.
But by 4pm none of the three had appeared for the sittings.
“We give them up to the end of business today. Should they fail to appear then we will sit as a committee and discuss with the party leadership on the way forward before writing a recommendation,” he explained.
Ford Kenya had joined Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) partners; ODM and Wiper in disciplining its rebel leaders as they prepare for next year’s general election.
Moses Wetang’ula’s party had indicated that the committee will present its recommendations on November 24 when the outfit holds its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting for adoption.
The report would subsequently be ratified on November 26 when the party holds its General Council.
ODM has since expelled ten of its rebel members and written to the Registrar of Political Parties, electoral commission and speakers of affected house to declare their seats vacant for by-elections.
But the process of delisting the targeted leaders has since been put on hold following an appeal by the leaders, who include a governor, deputy governor, seven MPs and an MCA.
-standardmedia.co.k
