Senator Gloria Orwoba Suspended For 6 Months Over 'Unsubstantiated' Sexual Claims
Senator Gloria Orwoba has been suspended from the Senate until February 2024 due to allegations of sexual harassment that have yet to be proven.
The Senate Powers and Privileges Committee recommended her suspension in August, and on Wednesday evening, the Senate approved the report. Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot had previously intervened to prevent the debate from becoming public. Ms Orwoba will not be allowed to enter the Parliament building or attend plenary and committee meetings and she will lose her sitting allowance and other privileges. She will also be unable to travel domestically or internationally, which is a source of extra income for many MPs.
Prior to being welcomed back into the Senate, the nominated senator will be required to express regret to her colleagues, the Clerk of the Senate, and the Parliament secretariat. Senator Godfrey Osotsi has given his backing to this motion saying senators need to exhibit respect and decorum when interacting within the Senate. Senator Osotsi recounted an incident where the nominated senator accused her colleagues of undermining her proposed Bill - the Konza Technopolis Bill - when asked to align it with the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) ministry's legislation. The nominated senator is accused of making unsubstantiated allegations of sexual favours by some parliamentary officials, but she failed to appear before the committee to defend herself.
The committee went ahead and considered the evidence before it and confirmed the charge as there was no evidence to refute it. The first-term lawmaker is also accused of disrespecting fellow senators by publishing disrespectful information about her colleagues and imputing improper motives on them, a charge that was also substantiated by her failure to appear before the committee to defend herself.
Several Members of Parliament including Senators Boni Khalwale, Okiya Omtatah, Wakoli Wafula, and Beatrice Ogolla among others supported the motion against the colleague accused of showing contempt for the committee and the House as a whole. Senator Omtatah specifically mentioned that the colleague had been given an opportunity to prove herself, but instead chose to bring up a sexual harassment allegation at the end. The issue arose after female nominated senators, including Hezena Lemaletian, Karen Nyamu, and Miraj Abdulahi, opposed a report and pulled the gender card.
Comments (10)
She may have done something wrong but the penalty was too harsh. The senate should focus on disciplining the the ministers
There is nothing like bad publicity in politics. Remember Honorable Franklin Mithika Linturi raped someone's daughter as she soundly slept, or was accused of it and today is in Ruto's cabinet as a CS. Any sane politician will not let a good sensational scandal or accusation go waste.
It was Mwiti not Rinturi.Thug Rinturi’s case was attempted rape but it was withdrawn when investigators found both were sexual/adultery partners.
How do you get a sitting allowance for coming to work? If you get a monthly salary plus sitting allowance, are you not stealing from the people? How does traveling for these leaders turn into extra money for them? Am I missing something?
If you are an employee,and you want to get fired,take this article and show your boss,and demand policy changes in the next year to include" sitting allowance"... Anyway way, their salaries are too high as it is, for what they give to the public in return...
Lately Ruto has been awarding our well archiving athletes with some modest cash.My question is," Is that money from his pocket or from the public coffers? If it comes from his pocket, I would say thank you Mr. President for supporting our" true ambassadors".But if the cash is coming from tax payers,it would be wrong not to give tax payers/government credit.
What the president does as a private citizen if broadcasted shoulf be made clear,and should be separated from what he does as the Chief leader of a country. So please you the media people,especially the print media,make this distinction clearly.Lately there has been a nebulous distinction between what he is donating publicly,and privately.
That question was my gut reaction when I read this. Why are they getting paid heftly for doing what should be in their job description anyway? Being in committees should not mean extra money... that should be part of the job. Broad daylight thiefery.
Yes, you are missing the motivation of all things travel... call there per diems or imprests... They are paid crazy $$$$/day of foreign stay.
Sitting allowance and earning income from travel - something is wrong here. How about just not being bribed to do your job. These people make way more 10 times what the average Kenyan makes before allowances, per diems and all those other perks. Meanwhile in the world's largest economy, the difference is 3x. Go figure.
There is a lot of noise in this Parliament particularly subjected towards women or rather the period woman!!!
Maslay queens not meant for public office..reason Kenyans don't elect them. Kina Nyamu n the like..wawachwe kwanza they mature up least their role modelling will catch fire like a bush.