CORD MPs storm out of Parliament to PROTEST election laws review

Members of Parliament allied to the opposition Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) stormed out of a Special Sitting of the National Assembly that had been convened by Speaker Justin Muturi to discuss the proposed amendments to the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2016.

The opposition legislators accused their Jubilee counterparts of planning to cause chaos during the session.

They alleged that the Jubilee MPs had been allowed to sneak in firearms and other crude weapons to the National Assembly Chambers while they had been forced to undergo thorough screening.

Minority Chief Whip, Jakoyo Midiwo, alleged that the Jubilee MPs were under instructions from their masters to attack their opponents and force the passage of the amendments to the election laws.

“The Jubilee MPs were under clear instructions from their masters to do whatever they needed to do to make sure they amend the election laws,” alleged Midiwo.

He further argued that the Jubilee MPs were afraid of facing them (CORD MPs) saying that it was a case of ‘tyranny of numbers against tyranny of brains’.

Embakasi MP, Irshad Sumra, alleged that he had been assaulted by his Tigania East counterpart, Mpuru Aburi within the Chambers of the National Assembly.

Upon storming out of the Chambers, the CORD MPs marched to Milimani Law Courts where they had filed a case challenging the legality of the special sitting.

Chanting anti-Jubilee slogans, the legislators accused the ruling coalition of using police to harass and intimidate them. They alleged that they had been forced to access the Parliament buildings through the public entrance and forced to leave behind their bodyguards.

This did, however, not stop the Special Sitting from taking place with the Jubilee MPs going ahead to pass the amendments to the election laws.

The Jubilee MPs used their numerical strengths in the August House to pass the proposed changes that will see the use of manual transmission of election results in cases where the electronic system fails.

The opposition has constantly argued that the re-introduction of the manual transmission of election results was prone to manipulation and abuse and can easily be tampered with to alter the results.

They now want the amendments nullified by a Court of Law.