A Senate session came to a dramatic halt after a heated exchange between Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot sparked tensions in the House.
What began as a routine sitting quickly descended into chaos after Sifuna rose to address what he termed an “urgent and emotional” issue—the unresolved case of a Kibera Secondary School student’s death and the alleged denial of compensation to the victim’s family. He intended to present crucial documents directly to Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale.
“These games must come to an end,” Sifuna said, visibly agitated, accusing the ministry of stalling progress by demanding additional paperwork.
As he spoke, murmurs and interruptions from the government side disrupted his remarks. Turning his frustration toward Cheruiyot, Sifuna asked the Speaker, “Why is the Majority Leader heckling me? You gave me the mic—please allow me to speak.”
In a moment that drew laughter across the chamber, Sifuna claimed he was under instruction from ODM party leader Raila Odinga to take a more restrained tone in Parliament.
“I was directed to be nicer… so I won’t respond to his heckling today. I was told to reduce the ‘pilipili’,” he said, using a Swahili expression to imply he had been asked to tone down his rhetoric.
Despite the pledge of restraint, the confrontation escalated. Sifuna accused Cheruiyot of disrespecting the House and dominating proceedings at the expense of opposition voices.
“This is not your House—it belongs to all of us,” he asserted, demanding fair treatment across party lines.
The session was temporarily halted as Acting Speaker Senator Haji Abdul Mohammed intervened to restore order.
Sifuna also challenged the concept of seniority within the Senate, arguing that respect should be based on intellect, not age.
“How can someone younger than me call himself my elder? In this House, seniority is not about age—it’s about what’s in your brain,” he remarked, drawing more laughter from his colleagues.
