MPs risk being dewhipped for failure to attend to House Committees’ duties.

Members of Parliament who do not attend four committee sittings risk being dewhipped from the committees.

National Assembly Majority Leader Amos Kimunya on Wednesday July 15 warned members that abdicating their committee duties would lead to them being removed.

Speaking in Parliament after presenting the list of members appointed into various Parliamentary Committees, the Kipipiri MP noted that some of the legislators did not take their roles seriously and resulted to holding chairpersons at ransom with threats of dewhipping to avoid being ejected from the committees.

He affirmed that, he would personally initiate the removal process of committee members who abdicated their duties and burdening other members.

“A member who does not attend four sittings is supposed to be reported by the chairmen. …I will take over that responsibility and I will monitor that if members are not attending four meetings consecutively, the letter to dewhip we have the template the only thing that will change is the date and the name”, Kimunya warned the Members of Parliament.

The warning comes as new appointments to the House Committees were announced in parliament after Members agreed on the harmonized list of the membership.

ODM bagged important seats in the committees including the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee where ODM Minority Whip Junet Mohammed, Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo and Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma are now members.

The committees now have seven days to elect their chair and vice chair persons, in accordance with the Standing Orders.