Drama ensued at Kisumu County Assembly on Tuesday as MCAs exchanged blows and kicked out chamber orderlies to push for election of a presiding acting speaker.
Tension remained high at the Assembly as police kept vigil to bar hostile youth who pitched tent at the premises to push for ouster of embattled Speaker Onyango Oloo who was on Monday charged with graft.
The youths chanted anti Oloo slogans vowing not to allow him to set foot at the Assembly after being released on a cash bail.
Pandemonium broke out during the afternoon sitting when Deputy Speaker Roy Samo adjourned the house to Thursday after a supplementary motion was pushed to allow for the election of an acting speaker.
Samo was roughed up by his colleagues as other MCAs allied to embattled Speaker Onyango Oloo scampered for safety.
The MCAs wrestled the Sergeant at Arms who rose to secure the mace and frog matched him out of the chambers alongside other parliamentary orderlies before Inviolata Adhiambo, a member of the Speaker’s panel took over the sitting.
The temporary Speaker expunged the earlier communication by the Deputy Speaker, Roy Samo and allowed the motion to proceed.
The Majority Leader, Kenneth Onyango who presented the motion said the MCAs were in order to elect an acting Presiding Speaker since Onyango Oloo was facing a court case.
“The Speaker has a case in court and according to our constitution he is supposed to step aside until the matter is heard and determined. This assembly cannot be held in abeyance because of the court case,” he said.
The motion, he said had been signed by 29 members out of 48 adding that the house was in order to elect an acting presiding speaker as Oloo battles his case in court. He was seconded by West Kisumu MCA Paul Okiri.
Kaloleni/Shaurimoyo MCA, Prisca Masachi proposed the election of North Kisumu MCA, Jack Oraro.
She was seconded by Kobura ward MCA, John Atieno who withdrew his candidature to support the will of the majority.
Following his unanimous appointment, Oraro was sworn in and pledged to unite the house in order to deliver development for the people of Kisumu.
The youth who were still gathering outside the chamber moved with Oraro and other MCAs to the Speaker’s office which was locked.
They broke into the office where the acting speaker took the seat of the Speaker.
The Market Milimani Ward MCA, Seth Ochieng urged the Speaker to expedite the budget process to ensure that the county receives funds for development.
Efforts to get a comment from the embattled Speaker were futile as his phone was switched off..
By Chris Mahandara/Kaunda Maxwell
