Former nominated senator Gloria Orwoba was blocked from entering the Parliament buildings on Wednesday, August 27, amid ongoing legal battles over her Senate seat.
Speaking outside the premises, Orwoba claimed that her replacement's participation in parliamentary business is illegal and undermines the current impeachment process.
The former UDA-nominated senator accused Senate leadership of allowing illegality to persist by permitting Consolata Wabwire, nominated to replace her, to participate in Senate proceedings despite ongoing legal challenges.
"Now, as long as the lady called Consolata is sitting in the Senate, that sitting is illegal. That is a stranger on the floor of the house. There is no impeachment by the way that is going on with a stranger on the house floor," Orwoba stated.
She argued that Wabwire's presence in the Senate provides grounds for appealing any outcome from the current impeachment proceedings against Kericho Governor Eric Mutai.
"That is a basis of an appeal for whatever outcome the impeachment will bring out because they have a stranger on the floor of the house. Here are the orders from the seats, and the Speaker of the Senate, Amason Kingi, continues to entertain illegality," she stated.
Orwoba specifically called on the people of Kericho to note what she termed an illegal process, warning them that the current Senate proceedings were shortchanging them.
"So in fact, the people of Kericho should know they are being shortchanged because whatever happens inside the Senate is not legal. There is a stranger on the house floor who is purportedly sitting and thinking that she's executing an impeachment," she said.
The confrontation comes just one week after the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal issued a ruling favorable to Orwoba, directing the United Democratic Alliance to reverse all disciplinary actions taken against her.
The tribunal found that the former senator had been denied a fair hearing and that UDA's disciplinary process contained significant legal and procedural flaws.
The controversy stems from UDA's decision in May to dismiss Orwoba from the party following a disciplinary hearing.
At the time, UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar announced that the party's National Executive Committee had endorsed the disciplinary committee's decision and nominated Consolata Wabwire Wakwabubi from Kimilili Constituency, Bungoma County, as Orwoba's replacement.
