On Wednesday, August 13, Githunguri Member of Parliament Gathoni Wamuchomba was suspended from the precincts for 20 days following a brief but heated exchange with Speaker Moses Wetang'ula. The confrontation, which has become the talk of the town, stemmed from Wamuchomba's fiery demand for answers from Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on the state of security in the country and, more specifically, the whereabouts of Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, a suspected serial killer believed to have taken the lives of 42 women.
Wamuchomba, who was among the MPs present to grill the Interior CS, expressed her dissatisfaction with Murkomen's answers, accusing him of failing to take responsibility for the missing fugitive. "I have listened to what the Cabinet Secretary has said concerning the cases of the ladies that he confirms were matched with their relatives. But I refuse to sit in this house to listen to the CS confirm that the ministry cannot capture suspects who were previously under their custody," she declared. The irate lawmaker’s words, a powerful indictment of the ministry's handling of the case, were a clear sign of her frustration and her commitment to seeking justice for the victims.
True to her words, Wamuchomba proceeded to walk out of the lower house just as Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris was presenting her question to Murkomen. This act of defiance was deemed contempt of the house by Speaker Wetang'ula, who wasted no time in handing down a significant punishment. "As for the case of Honourable Wamuchomba, in law we call it contempt in the face of the court. And members, you all are witnesses to this. Under standing orders 107A as read with 1A and 3 and having been prompted by Deputy Majority leader, Honourable Wamuchomba, shall serve a suspension of the house for 20 days excluding the recess days," Wetang'ula announced. The suspension means Wamuchomba will be barred from accessing Parliament precincts, including basic facilities such as restaurants and the gym, for the duration of her punishment.
The dramatic events in Parliament highlight the intense pressure on the government to address the issue of insecurity and, in particular, to bring the suspected serial killer to justice. During the grilling session, Wamuchomba had sought clarification from Murkomen amid claims that the case involving Collins Jumaisi had stalled after he escaped from custody. In response, Murkomen confirmed that DNA analysis on body parts recovered from the Kware dumpsite led to the positive identification of five victims, all of whom were women. He also revealed that a special unit had been deployed to track down the serial killer and that the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) had launched an independent inquiry to establish the circumstances surrounding the escape.
