Babu Owino Kicked Out Of Parliament

Embakasi East Member of Parliament (MP) Babu Owino was kicked out of the National Assembly by Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss Shollei for four parliamentary sittings.

The vocal MP allied to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) was kicked out of the House after causing a commotion in the middle of discussions centred around the leadership of the Kenya Young Parliamentarians Association (KYPA).

Owino began by rising on a point of order but started shouting at Shollei while he contested the list presented at parliament for KYPA leadership.

National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss Shollei speaks at a breakfast meeting organized by the Pan African Congress Kenya meeting at Radisson Blu Hotel, Arboretum in Nairobi County on April 27, 2023. /GLADYS SHOLLEI

A calm Shollei was forced to snap and warn the lawmaker against his disorderly conduct while ordering him to apologise, noting that shouting at the Speaker was acting against the rules of Parliament.

“Babu Owino you are out of order. You do not shout at me. You better withdraw your remarks,” an angered Shollei ordered Owino.

However, the MP kept engaging the Speaker verbally as his agitation grew. Soy MP David Kiplagat turned the tables against Owino in defence of Shollei and engaged him in a shouting match.

The Deputy Speaker, in a bid to save the situation from spiralling out of control, told Kiplagat that he was out of order, adding that she did not need assistance in calming down the situation.

Meanwhile, Babu Owino refused to surrender to Shollei's orders, a matter that forced the Deputy Speaker, who was standing in for Speaker Moses Wetangula, to issue him a last warning.

The warning however fell on deaf ears for Owino and continued shouting at Shollei, who as a result moved to take action.

“Babu Owino, I will read you Standing Orders 107 and 107a. If a member commits an act of disorderly conduct, creates disorder or knowingly raises a false point of order or unnecessarily interrupts proceedings the Speaker may caution the member or order the member to leave the assembly for 4 days,” she read.

“Do not come to the precincts of parliament for four days,” he received his marching orders. 

The Sergeants at Arm were directed to escort the lawmaker out of the Chambers, with Owino backed by Azimio la Umoja parliamentarians who booed the men in green uniform as they carried out their jobs.

Sergeants at Arm escort Embakasi East MP Babu Owino out of Parliament after he was kicked out for four parliamentary sittings by Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss Shollei on August 10, 2023. /NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF KENYA