”Stop frustrating Jeremiah Nyegenye” clerk of the national assembly Michael Sialai told.
A group of young Kenyans calling themselves” team Change” drawn from the former Western Province have castigated the underfire National Assembly clerk Mr. Michael Sialai over what they termed as misdirected negative energies towards fellow clerk Mr. Jeremiah Nyegenye.
.Mr. Nyegenye joined the Parliamentary Service in 2007, tasked to establish a legal office in the National Assembly, and served as the Director of Legal Services up to 11th October, 2012 when he was appointed as the Clerk of the Senate and the Secretary to the Parliamentary Service Commission.
Since Mr. Sialai the underfire clerk of the national assembly was reappointed on May 30th despite attaining the mandatory age of 60 years, bad blood has erupted between the two clerks with Mr. Sialai seemingly stirring strife.
Mr. Michael Sialai, the current and sixth Clerk of the National Assembly having been appointed to the position on 22nd March 2017. However, his re-appointment is being challenged by activist Okiya Omtata who incidentally just like Mr. Nyegenye hails from Busia county. This leaves many wondering could the vitriol directed towards Mr. Nyegenye be a result of Omtata’s petition to have Sialai’s reappointment quashed?
Omtatah wants the court to stop Sialai from assuming the clerk’s office when he formally retires at the end of next month.
The activist argues that PSC has violated the law by appointing Sialai on contract without the approval of the House.
“The impugned appointment of Sialai on contract is unconstitutional and unlawful as it was done without the approval of the House and will take effect a day after he attains the 60 years’ mandatory retirement age in the parliamentary service,” reads court papers.
He argues that quashing the appointment will not create any crisis in the officer of the clerk because the PSC can appoint one of the two deputies in an acting capacity.
” We will not sit and watch Mr. Nyegenye being frustrated, he has done much in serving the nation and any attack meant to intimidate him will be resisted, ” Mr Emmanuel Musiomi said.
” We have seen a well-orchestrated attack on senior government officers drawn from the Luhya nation being vilified and later hounded out of office, we saw how Chiloba was treated, others are already salivating to have Chebukati out, we shall not stand and watch our son Wakili Nyegenye being treated unfairly, we are all Kenyans working to build our nation and nobody is more Kenyan and therefore more entitled than the other.
Justus Changi said.
Last months during the BBI debate in the senate, Sen Malala went on record complaining of the unfair distribution of top government jobs in Kenya to two communities. Interestingly, Mr Sialai hails from Kericho which is Ruto’s backyard.
