Samson Cherargei Claims Khalwale Was Removed from Govt WhatsApp Groups: "Was Looking for Popularity"
- A fiery exchange erupted in the Senate as senators Samson Cherargei and Boni Khalwale clashed over government loyalty and leadership roles
- Cherargei accused Khalwale of hypocrisy and seeking popularity ahead of his 2027 political ambitions
- Khalwale dismissed Cherargei as tribal and inconsequential, saying he had no position in the Kenya Kwanza government
TUKO.co.ke journalist Harry Ivan Mboto has over three years of experience reporting on politics and current affairs in Kenya
Tempers flared and accusations flew as Nandi senator Samson Cherargei and his Kakamega counterpart Boni Khalwale locked horns on the Senate floor.
Source: UGC
The heated exchange began when Khalwale rose to challenge Cherargei's frequent defence of government policies and pronouncements.
He accused the Nandi lawmaker of overstepping his role and portraying himself as a government spokesperson without holding any official portfolio.
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"Mr. Speaker, is it in order for Cherargei to pretend that he is the spokesperson of the government, to pretend that he is a minister?" Khalwale posed.
He questioned why Cherargei would imply he had the authority to advise the government’s chief whip. He went on to suggest that Cherargei’s remarks hinted at a tribal approach to governance, warning against such divisive rhetoric.
Khalwale dismissed Cherargei’s relevance in the government structure, describing him as a “small man” who held no leadership position in the Kenya Kwanza administration.
“Could he migrate from his tribal thinking and focus on how government works?” Khalwale challenged, visibly agitated.
Is there a confusion between parliament majority, minority sides?
He added that the political confusion in the Senate had blurred the lines between majority and minority sides.
“There is so much confusion now. We don’t know who is in the majority and who is in the minority. People in the minority side are with the government, and those in the majority side are lost,” he argued.
The Kakamega lawmaker claimed he was not part of the broader government arrangement involving Raila Odinga’s ODM party, insisting that he remained a representative of the original Kenya Kwanza government before the handshake-like deal.
In a swift rebuttal, Cherargei accused Khalwale of attacking the government from within.
Source: Twitter
Was Khalwale removed from government WhatsApp groups?
He alleged that Khalwale had been kicked out of several United Democratic Alliance (UDA) WhatsApp groups and no longer attended key party executive meetings due to his internal criticism.
He called out the Kakamega senator for being double-faced, enjoying state perks while openly criticising government performance in Western Kenya.
“He is the whip of government yet he is accusing the same government of doing nothing in his region,” Cherargei fired back.
The Nandi senator claimed Khalwale’s criticism was politically motivated, linking it to his ambitions for the Kakamega governorship in 2027. He warned that the attempt would flop, citing ODM’s strong grip on the region.
“ODM has a candidate there. He will not survive. The current governor is from ODM,” Cherargei said.
He also took offence at Khalwale’s remark referring to him as a “small man,” defending his political stature and performance.
“I want to advise him that I am not a small man. I was elected and now serving my second term,” he said, affirming his loyalty to President William Ruto.
Cherargei expressed confidence that Ruto would secure a second term and that the current broad-based governance arrangement would remain intact, despite internal wrangles and rising tensions.
Cherargei, Khalwale clash over interns' pay
The rivalry between Senators Khalwale and Cherargei had been ongoing for a while.
In 2024, it resurfaced during a heated Senate session after Cherargei proposed standardising pay for all interns. His suggestion came amid demands by medical interns to be paid KSh 206,000 monthly, as outlined in a past agreement.
Khalwale opposed the move, defended doctors, and accused lawmakers of unfairly targeting the profession. He also took a personal jab at Cherargei, questioning his academic background and saying he had no moral ground to belittle doctors.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
