Drama as former nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba barred from Senate despite court reinstatement
In a video circulating online, a frustrated Orwoba confronted security officers, insisting she had every legal right to enter and daring them to arrest her.
Drama unfolded at the Senate on Wednesday when former nominated senator, Gloria Orwoba, was denied entry despite presenting court orders reinstating her to the position.
In a video circulating online, a frustrated Orwoba confronted security officers, insisting she had every legal right to enter and daring them to arrest her.
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“I am here to go back to work as per the court’s instructions and judgements that came out, in fact, I have my badge and everything…I am just coming to work,” Orwoba said, asserting her authority to be in the Senate chambers.
Her attempts to persuade the officers to let her in proved futile, as security personnel insisted they had not received instructions to allow her entry.
Orwoba emphasised that she remains the sitting nominated senator for the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) until courts rule otherwise.
Expulsion nullified
The confrontation follows a Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) ruling on August 20, which nullified Orwoba’s expulsion from UDA, citing procedural lapses in the party’s disciplinary process that violated fundamental principles of fairness.
“There was no fair opportunity for hearing, and the complainant was not furnished with the impugned decision,” the tribunal ruled.
The tribunal also highlighted several irregularities, including unsigned and undated complaint documents and the absence of proof that Orwoba was formally served with the expulsion decision. These procedural flaws, the tribunal said, stripped the disciplinary process of legality and fairness.
Orwoba had been expelled earlier over allegations of disloyalty, which she dismissed as politically motivated.
UDA maintained that the expulsion was justified and argued before the tribunal that the case was sub judice due to a High Court petition filed earlier by Orwoba. However, the tribunal rejected this argument, stating that no parallel proceedings were ongoing.
Replacement sworn in
Following Orwoba’s removal, Nominated Senator Consolata Wakwabubi was sworn in, replacing her after being nominated by UDA. Wakwabubi took the oath of office after being gazetted by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on August 15 as the replacement for Orwoba in the women’s special seat.
However, Orwoba maintained that her removal and Wakwabubi’s swearing-in were unlawful.
“As long as Consolata is sitting in the Senate now, that sitting is unlawful. She is a stranger on the floor of the house. No impeachment is going on with a stranger in the Senate,” Orwoba said.
She further accused Senate leadership of ignoring legal processes.
“The Speaker of the Senate, Amason Kingi, continues to entertain lawlessness. The people of Kericho should know that they are being shortchanged because whatever is happening inside the Senate is unlawful,” she added.
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