By Peter Aowa
Worth Noting:
- Speaking at Malidi AIC Kakoneni Church on Sunday, Teddy Muturi, one of the petitioners, urged Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka to demand the position of National Speaker when the House resumes.
- Muturi stated that both Raila Odinga and Uhuru Kenyatta had given their support to the government, and the country now looks to Kalonzo. “You are our only hope,” he said.
- The chair of the Nairobi Ni Sisi caucus, which consists of 17 sitting MCAs and 68 active aspirants, reminded Kalonzo that, according to the Azimio coalition agreement, the Wiper party was to be given the position of Speaker of the National Assembly.
The National Assembly is resuming its business today after a two-month recess.
This comes barely a week after the High Court quashed a decision by Speaker Moses Wetangula declaring that the Kenya Kwanza coalition was the majority party in the House.
The three-judge bench, consisting of Justices John Chigiti, Jairus Ngaah, and Lawrence Mugambi, nullified Wetangula’s decision and ruled that the Azimio-One Kenya Alliance is the bona fide majority alliance in the National Assembly.
In its ruling, the court said Wetangula acted unreasonably when he assigned the 14 members of the Azimio coalition who had resigned to the Kenya Kwanza coalition.
The case was filed by lawyer Ken Njagi, advocate Lempaa Soyinka, and 10 other petitioners, represented by Advocate Kibe Mungai.
Speaking at Malidi AIC Kakoneni Church on Sunday, Teddy Muturi, one of the petitioners, urged Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka to demand the position of National Speaker when the House resumes.
Muturi stated that both Raila Odinga and Uhuru Kenyatta had given their support to the government, and the country now looks to Kalonzo. “You are our only hope,” he said.
The chair of the Nairobi Ni Sisi caucus, which consists of 17 sitting MCAs and 68 active aspirants, reminded Kalonzo that, according to the Azimio coalition agreement, the Wiper party was to be given the position of Speaker of the National Assembly.
“Your Excellency Kalonzo, remember that according to the Azimio agreement, Wiper was to be the Speaker of the National Assembly. You’re the only hope for Kenyans,” Muturi said to Kalonzo, who was present.
However, the three-judge bench ruling has been criticized by several lawmakers.
The Movement for Democracy and Growth (MDG) party leader, who serves as the MP for Ugenya, termed the ruling impractical.
Ochieng, speaking on Citizen TV’s Daybreak show yesterday said that Parliament should be allowed to resolve the standoff, noting that this is how Parliament operates.
“I don’t want this to be an issue that depends on what the judges say. This should be left to Parliament to decide because that is how Parliament works,” Ochieng stated.
His counterpart, Jane Kagiri, the Women Representative, also supported Ochieng’s position, stating that the ruling had been overtaken by events.
Kagiri, who hinted at a possible appeal by the Kenya Kwanza government against the ruling, said that many parties had left the Azimio coalition following the outcome of the elections.
In a quick rejoinder after the ruling, Speaker Wetangula dismissed it as “ordinary comments” in law that are non-binding and have no practical effect.
A total of 14 MPs from four parties—United Democratic Movement (UDM), Movement for Democracy and Growth (MDG), Maendeleo Chap Chap (MCC), and Pamoja African Alliance (PAA)—had written to Wetangula’s office denouncing their association with the Raila Odinga-led political outfit.
However, the bench argued that when Wetangula signed an affidavit in court to oppose the case, he did not provide any evidence of any post-election agreements involving the said parties and the Kenya Kwanza coalition.
All eyes are now on the National Assembly tomorrow. Will Wetangula step down from his role as Speaker in line with the ruling? Will Kimani Ichung’wah step down from his role as Majority Leader if the ruling stands? Only time will tell.
Mt Kenya Times