National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula, who also chairs the Parliamentary Service Commission, has threatened disciplinary action against Members of Parliament who speak out against the soon-to-be-opened Bunge Towers.
Speaking on the House floor on Wednesday, Wetangula warned that MPs could face the Powers and Privileges Committee if they spoke about the project without sufficient information.
The Speaker, who informed the House that the President would officially open the premises on Friday, allayed concerns that the building was not ready for use and persuaded members to disregard what he called “rejectionist philosophers.”
“The building is ready, there are six high-speed lifts, all working sufficiently well as any building you would find in Manhattan in the US. The offices are ready, the furniture has been put in place, the gym has been equipped, and the kitchen and modern dining is in place,” he told the legislators.
“I want to assure you, members that even the library we have set up for you is a digital library, you will access any book on earth. You’re going to be allocated personal parking, For those who want to walk straight from your office to the chamber there is a connecting channel.”
Wetangula was responding to concerns by Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi on the negative publicity the opening of the building has generated, insisting that Parliament needed to clean its name on the project.
“’ We have been treated to negative publicity on that project, the institution of Parliament occupies a very unique place in this country, it must be beyond reproach because we have an onerous role of oversight not only the Executive, but all the institutions, the questions that are being asked, what do we do?” Wandayi posed
“How do we assuage the public? How do we address these concerns that are coming from the project? On the efficacy of the Bunge Tower project.”
However, the Speaker urged members to ignore the critics and instead prepare to enjoy the facility, which was built with taxpayers’ money.
“I have seen members who are pouring vitriol, scorn, and anger on this building; those members might find themselves before the Powers and Privileges Committee because they are talking of things they know very little about,” cautioned Wetangula.
“Even in your villages, you can move into your house without putting up windows, before you sprout it out to be the building you want. We had a choice of leaving the building to be a white elephant or to move in, let’s not join those that I call the rejectionist philosophers in the streets of Nairobi who always say nothing good can come from Nazareth.”
