Drama unfolded on Monday morning during a live broadcast of Citizen TV's Daybreak show when two Members of Parliament from the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) engaged in a heated debate over ideological differences.

The debate, which had been progressing smoothly with political panelists from both the ruling party and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), took a turn when Kiambu Women Representative Gathoni Wamuchomba, allied to UDA, alleged that members of the UDA party often received phone calls from an unnamed senior figure providing instructions on how they should vote in Parliament. 

Wamuchomba was referring to what she termed as 'a political cage' in which former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua found himself while serving the government. 

''He was in that cage. It is a political cage and every other politician, including the ones seated here, will face this camera and say they are not in that cage,'' Wamuchomba stated. 

Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba during a Women's Power and Change Conference in Nairobi on September 6,2024.

Gathoni Wamuchomba

''But I can confess to you that no single vote happens in Parliament without them receiving a call. Please make sure you vote this way from the Majority leader, Whip and State House. They get those calls,'' she added. 

Laikipia Woman Representative Jane Kagiri, allied to UDA, was, however, quick to give a rejoinder to Wamuchomba, insisting that her counterpart was lying to Kenyans on the issue of the phone calls from some sections of the leaders.

According to Kagiri, the only phone call she had received in her parliamentary time was a phone call from Wamuchomba when the latter wanted to convince her to reconsider a motion she had presented to Parliament on the cost of electricity.

She added that Wamuchomba tried to convince her that her motion would attract some censorship from the government. Additionally, she pressed upon Wamuchomba to table a phone call evidence that she claimed leaders from the ruling party often received. 

Kagiri insisted that she had never received any calls from State House on how to vote, insisting that her counterpart was on a misinformation spree. 

''I am glad Gathoni is here and I want to confirm to you that the only phone call I received was from yours truly Gathoni Wamuchomba. This was on the day that I tabled the motion on the cost of electricity. She walked to me and told me to be careful and that I was attacking the government,'' Kagiri responded.

''So if there is a phone call I have received since she is here, she can table the evidence,'' she added. 

But before she could even finish her response, Wamuchomba quickly interrupted her, ''Hold on I clear my name, I would want her to show a printout of the telco I used with proof that I made a call. There is a CCTV in Parliament and I would want her to produce that footage,'' 

According to Wamuchomba, Kagiri was not being honest on the matter, insisting that the Parliamentary Hansard had evidence of her supporting the Laikipia Women Rep on her motion to reduce the cost of electricity in Kenya. 

Sam Gituku, the programme moderator was forced to quickly step in to prevent the simmering tensions between the two lawmakers. He urged them to be factual in their assertions. 

However, Wamuchomba could not heed the intervention by Gituku and went ahead to paint how the UDA lawmakers often received calls during past Parliamentary processes including impeachment motions.

She further added that even at the height of Kenyans' protestations on the Finance Bill 2024, the MPs still went ahead to heed to directives on how to vote on the same. 

''Some of them go out in public and say they are not going to participate in certain voting processes and yet when they go to Parliament, they turn against their own people,'' Wamuchomba added. 

Laikipia woman representative Jane Kagiri Wangechi speaking at youth event in 2021.

Photo

Jane Kagiri