Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has been removed as the Senate Majority Whip.
Speaking on Tuesday, December 2, Speaker Amason Kingi informed senators that he had received official communication from the Majority Party notifying the House of the replacement.
With the change taking effect immediately, Bungoma Senator Wafula Wakoli has been picked to replace Khalwale.
"I have received and verified a correspondence received from the Senate Majority Leader informing the House that the Majority Party has effected a change in office of the Senate Majority Whip. The new office holder will be Bungoma Senator Wafula Wakoli," Kingi said.
Read More
The move, viewed as a disciplinary measure, follows Khalwale's opposition to UDA's David Ndakwa in the recently concluded Malava by-election.
Ndakwa won the November 27 by-election with 21,564 votes, narrowly defeating DAP-K's Seth Panyako who secured 20,210 votes.
In the aftermath of the poll, Khalwale rejected the election outcome, describing the exercise as fundamentally flawed.
He alleged that violence, intimidation, and vote-buying marred the electoral process, making it impossible to consider the results legitimate.
"The killings, widespread violence, roaming armed goons escorted by police, intimidation and voter bribery that reigned in Malava Constituency erased any claim to a democratic election," he stated.
Khalwale went further, asserting there had been no credible election at all, while expressing optimism about growing political consciousness in the region.
He also raised an alarm about what he characterized as cooperation between criminal elements and security forces during the voting exercise.
"With 2027 fast approaching, Kenyans must be concerned about the emergence of connivance between goons and the police in our electoral process," he warned.
Notably, earlier today, Nandi County Senator Samson Cherargei called for sanctions against Khalwale for working against UDA in the by-election.
In a statement, Cherargei accused Khalwale of committing ‘political sins’ by campaigning for a DAP-K Party candidate in the hotly contested parliamentary race.
"Senator Bonnie Khalwale of Kakamega County must pay for his political sins for challenging his sponsoring UDA Party in the recent Malava constituency by-elections by campaigning against our candidate," he declared.
Cherargei further criticized what he termed as ‘contemptuous remarks’ made by Khalwale against both the UDA Party and the Kenya Kwanza administration, insisting such actions warrant consequences.
"His contempt remarks against the UDA Party/Kenya Kwanza administration cannot go unpunished. We are going to make him an example of not undermining your own political Party and bring back political hygiene under Political Parties Act," he added.
