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The money Wetangula will lose after ODM's decision

Wetangula's job was taken up by James Orengo.

Earlier, Mr Wetangula was attracting a monthly pay of Sh765,188 as basic salary, meaning he has been earning Sh143,938 above fellow senators for the last eight months, who earn a monthly salary of Sh621,250.

The Bungoma Senator was equally entitled to a premium life insurance, which will now suffer a cut, superior pay package, vehicles, enhanced security and at least nine employees paid for by the government. All these will now go to his Siaya counterpart James Orengo, should the decision made on Tuesday by 19 senators in the Senate remain in force.

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By virtue of his Senate Minority office, Mr Wetangula, a lawyer by profession, had a government-provided Mercedes Benz car fueled by the government, six police officers — two guarding his rural home, two for his Nairobi home and two bodyguards who accompany him — besides the services of a driver at his disposal.

He will equally have to leave the expansive office at the Senate buildings which is right opposite the Speaker’s Chambers, and which is packed with a personal assistant, legal researchers, a secretary and two researchers.

Local and International trips

Mr Wetangula will also have to do with only two International trips in Business Class, from six unlimited local travel and equally have to abandon a State funded air ticket for self and assistant every time he travels home. He will also lose control of the powerful House Business Committee which sets the agenda for the Senate.

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Several ODM Senators have said that Mr Wetangula is arrogant, a trait that saw his ouster on Tuesday. Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina hinted that the meeting ordered for by the Nasa Summit chairman Mr Raila Odinga would not do much to salvage his state, after the ouster.

“We met, we deliberated and agreed that the Senate is an independent institution and we made the decision of retaining Orengo as our elected leader,” Narok Senator Ledama ole Kina said as quoted by a local daily.

Early this week, ODM’s Raila Odinga and Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka watched helplessly as the lawmakers hit at Wetang’ula, whom they insisted could not continue leading them in the Senate.

Mr Kalonzo’s appeal to reconsider fell on deaf ears and drew murmurs from some lawmakers, who accused him of only paying lip service to NASA unity.

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On Thursday, ANC boycotted a summit by Nasa chiefs in which Mr Wetangula stood silent at a press conference in which Raila Odinga directed senators to have a two week retreat to review the decision to remove Wetangula before officially notifying the Speaker of any changes.

“We have agreed that senators will go on a retreat within the next 14 days and discuss issues regarding the operation within the Senate, how to deal with issues which have been contentious, and report back to the Summit in two weeks,” Raila said.

After the retreat, Mr Odinga said, the Senate group will communicate their decision regarding the seat of the minority leader to Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka.

Crisis meeting

It is unclear how the senators, who had in open defiance of the Summit’s position sat and elected Mr Orengo, will reverse the decision during a retreat where they will be the only participants.

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During Thursday’s meeting, sources said the senators accused Mr Wetang’ula of having a condescending attitude, telling him to his face that he had failed them and that he should accept their decision for the good of all.

Mr Wetang’ula is said to have apologised to his colleagues, pleading with them to forgive him if he had hurt them in the course of his duties as their leader.

Mr Musyoka told journalists that the coalition was intact despite the differences and dismissed claims that the Uhuru-Raila unity deal, or the dispute over the Senate seat, would split the alliance.

“At the level of principals, we are all together. We have all restated our unity in Nasa. And if we have taken that position, our MPs and members of county assemblies should stand guided,” Mr Musyoka said.

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