Speaker of the National Assembly, Moses Wetangula on Thursday afternoon, October 6, will rule on the House leadership row and determine which party or coalition will be identified as the majority party.
The matter had caused a standoff between Kenya Kwanza and Azimio la Umoja coalitions as they both fronted lists of nominations to the majority leadership in Parliament.
Kenya Kwanza nominated Kikuyu Member of Parliament, Kimani Ichung’wa as the majority leader while Azimio fronted Opiyo Wandayi for the same slot.
One of the major issues of contention was the legislators who recently decamped to Kenya Kwanza from Azimio.
As a result, Wetangula requested the members to debate the matter in the house during the first sitting of the 13th Parliament before he retreated to make a final judgment.
“Faced with these conflicting correspondences, you will agree with me that it is impossible for me and the Clerk to discharge those requirements of the standing orders at this moment
“With respect to the first question Honourable Members, I will reserve the rest of today’s Sitting to allow the House to address me on this matter so that I can retreat to issue my guidance,” the Speaker stated.
Wetangula, however, noted that the row would not disrupt the proceedings of the House as picked his Deputy Gladys Shollei to move the House business.
“In the absence of the House Business Committee (HBC) by dint of the controversy surrounding the question on who is the bonafide Leader of Majority Party, the Minority Party and Whips of Parliamentary Parties in the House, I made a ruling that the Deputy Speaker will in the interim, move the business in the House,” Wetangula stated.
In a letter drafted to the Speakers of both Houses, Registrar of Political Parties, Anne Nderitu had ruled that the Maendeleo Chap Chap (MCC) and Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) parties were officially not recognised members of the Kenya Kwanza alliance.
Nderitu affirmed that a party could neither decamp from a coalition six months before the August 9 polls or within three months after the stipulated poll.
