The youthful Nairobi Senator Johson Sakaja has been applauded by the Orange Democratic Movement leaders for voting against Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i over corruption allegations.
Sakaja became the first Jubillee legislator to vote against CS ,Matiang’i an action that was embarrassed by Minority leader James Orengo.
Matiang’i and Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang had been mentioned by the in a Senate committee report over their alleged involvement in the ongoing Ruaraka land scandal.
Apparently Matiang’i and other prominent leaders were supposed to be investigated over the corruption allegations regharding the Ruaraka Land which led to the loss of Ksh 1.5billion.
Several Jubilee Senators, who are part of the committee had signed in support of the report but when the actual voting came, only Senator Sakaja voted in support of the motion.
When history will be written about us many years to come @SakajaJohnson will prominetly feature as a leader who stood with Kenyans even when it was politically inconvenient to do so!
— Senator Ochillo Ayacko (@AyackoSenator) November 27, 2018
The report ultimately failed after it failed to get support of at least 24 Senators needed to pass it.
Most of the Jubilee Senators kept away, with Sakaja’s votes adding to the 14 from the ODM side.
Orengo later criticized the Jubilee Senators, terming them as cowards who failed President Uhuru Kenyatta’s war against corruption.
“I say this with a lot of sadness; despite the President’s war against corruption, when the time for voting came, only 15 senators voted in support of the motion to adopt the report. It is like the whole thing was planned. They are cowards.
“If you can’t vote in the Senate and take a stand you have no business being in Parliament. Even some of the committee members who had signed in support of the report were not in the House to prove their mettle,” said Mr Orengo.” Mr Orengo said of his colleagues.