A heated showdown unfolded in the National Assembly on Thursday as lawmakers approved a controversial bill to privatize 67 state-owned parastatals, sparking uproar from opposition members.
The Government-Owned Enterprises Bill was tabled through a supplementary order paper during the Committee of the Whole House, prompting immediate resistance from Deputy Minority Whip Robert Mbui, who demanded that the debate be postponed to allow proper discussion.
Opposition MPs quickly raised concerns over the lack of a quorum, repeatedly shouting “Point of order! Point of order!” but their protests were ignored.
Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss allowed Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah to read the bill for the third time, proceeding with the debate despite the ongoing objections.
Tensions escalated when MP Mbui attempted to seize the ceremonial mace, an action that parliamentary orderlies swiftly restrained. The Deputy Speaker condemned his move and suspended him from the House for five days.
“The reason I am ignoring you is because you are grossly out of order. In fact, you have attempted to grab the mace. I therefore order the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove you from the precincts of the House for five days,” Shollei said.
Even after Mbui’s removal, a handful of opposition MPs who remained in the chamber continued to challenge the legitimacy of the proceedings, insisting that the House had no quorum. Despite the protests, the bill was seconded by Marakwet East MP Kagongo Bowen, clearing the way for its approval.
Outside the chamber, opposition lawmakers decried the process as unconstitutional and unfair. Mbui expressed no regrets over his actions and pledged to file an official complaint with the substantive Speaker.
“There was no reason for the Deputy Speaker to deny us an opportunity to speak. Kenyans must now know that we have a rogue Parliament being run like a marketplace. But I want to tell them that the fight is not over — it will continue after my five-day suspension,” he said.
Mbui further suggested that the hurried passage of the bill served a hidden agenda.
“There is a plan to privatize state corporations and I suspect there is an intention to hand them over to individuals. Why couldn’t they wait for debate on Tuesday? What was so urgent?” he questioned.
The approval of the bill signals a contentious step towards privatization, with critics warning that the process undermines parliamentary norms and could fuel further political confrontations in the coming weeks.
