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Reprieve for Orwoba as Senate reduces her suspension
Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba.
What you need to know:
- Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot said the senator has been apologetic over her conduct since then.
- Consequently, the Senate leadership resolved to reduce the suspension period, varying its earlier decision.
Embattled nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba will now be out of Parliament for a month instead of 79 days after the Senate reduced her suspension period.
The legislator was to spend 79 days away from Parliament but the days have now been reduced after showing “considerable level of remorse” over her conduct.
The lawmaker will now be allowed back in the House on March 13, 2025 and not the earlier date of May 1, 2025.
Moving the House to approve the resolution, Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot said the senator has been apologetic over her conduct since then, leading to the varying of the resolution that gave the 79-day suspension.
Consequently, the Senate leadership resolved to reduce the suspension period, varying its earlier decision of September 2023 to have her thrown out of Parliament for more than two months.
The Senate had last year adopted a report of the Committee of Powers and Privileges on her conduct, resolving to suspend her from the precincts of Parliament for the remainder of the second session of the 13th Parliament.
“The Senate resolves to vary its resolution made on September 20, 2023 suspending Sen. Orwoba from the Senate and precincts of Parliament for seventy-nine (79) calendar days and reduces the suspension period to thirty (30) calendar days, commencing February 12, 2025 to March 13, 2025,” said Mr Cheruiyot.
The senator began her suspension from the House on February 12, 2025 after losing a court battle to bar the Senate from suspending her over gross misconduct.
During the suspension period, she will not be allowed to participate in any activity of the House, will not draw any committee allowances neither will she claim any mileage allowance nor will she enjoy any other unspecified facilities provided to MPs.
A remorseful Senator Orwoba apologised to her colleagues asking them to forgive her saying she has learnt her lesson.
“If there are people and members of the staff that I have offended, take this as my sincere apology and truly from the bottom of my heart. I have learnt to represent people better,” Senator Orwoba said.
“I own up my action and space. As I proceed for my suspension, I hope those I have offended will find it in their hearts to forgive me. It was not my intention to ridicule this upper house out there,” she added.
The senator got into trouble with the House committee of Powers and Privileges in 2023 after publishing on her social media a senior Senate official had resorted to harassing her after she declined his sexual advances.
She also claimed that some of her colleagues were corruptly earning per diems in exchange for sexual favours and for their legislative agenda to sail through.
The committee chaired by the Senate speaker in August, 2023 commenced an inquiry, on its own motion, into the conduct of the senator in order to find out whether her conduct constituted a breach of privilege.
However, Senator Orwoba rushed to court and filed a petition against the Attorney General, the Clerk of the Senate, the Speaker of the Senate, the Senate Committee of Powers and Privileges and the Senate seeking conservatory orders barring the Senate Committee from proceeding with the inquiry into her conduct.
The court however declined to grant the conservatory orders sought and instead ordered that the application be served and be mentioned on September 21, 2023
The committee therefore proceed with its inquiry and report tabled on August 10, recommended Orwoba’s suspension for failing to appear before it to substantiate claims she made against her colleagues on corruption and sexual harassment.
However, on September, 2023 the senator again filed a judicial review in Machakos High Court seeking orders to quash the recommendations of the committee
The matter was heard ex parte on September 28, 2023, and orders were issued whose effect was to suspend implementation of the Resolution of the Senate
The Senate protested the decision and the matter was subsequently transferred to the High Court at Milimani and was heard before Justice Lawrence Mugambi.
Justice Mugambi in his ruling issued in January 2025, concurred with the Senate’s decision, as the senator was given a chance to appear before the Powers and Privileges Committee to defend herself but snubbed the session.
“Senator Gloria Orwoba was provided with an opportunity to appear and state her case, presumably even raising all manner of preliminary issues before the Senate Powers and Privileges Committee but she instead opted not to participate and walked out on the committee,” Mugambi said in his ruling.
Justice Mugambi ruled out any infringement on the senator’s right to fair and administrative action as required by law as she was given an opportunity to appear before the committee to defend herself.