National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula Wednesday declared Kenya Kwanza as the Majority side despite the court ruling that stripped the ruling party of its status.
At the same time, a lawyer had warned he will find contempt of court charges over the move by Wetangula.
Wetangula explained that the court did not give the direction on which side is the Majority or Minority.
He said the status quo remains unchanged as Kenya Kwanza comprises 165 members as opposed to Azimio’s 154.
Wetangula directed that an appeal be lodged on the High Court’s decision.
“Arising from the foregoing, the Kenya Kwanza is the majority and the Azimio is the minority. The Leadership of the House remains unchanged,” the speaker stated.
Azimio MPs led by Suba South MP Millie Odhiambo disagreed with Wetangula’s decision and noted that they would opt for further action against his ruling.
“As Azimio we very respectfully disagree with your communication… As Azimio we are going to take further action,” Odhiambo stated.
Moments later, the disgruntled Azimio MPs proceeded to walk out of the House.
Wetangula’s ruling comes amid the debate about which party occupies the Majority side following the latest High Court ruling to strip Kenya Kwanza of its majority status.
This is after Justices John Chigiti, Lawrence Mugambi, and Jairus Ngaah noted that Speaker Wetangula contradicted the Registrar of Political Parties whose documents showed that Azimio had the majority status in 2022 before 14 MPs jumped ship to the ruling party.
Following the court ruling, Azimio MPs occupied the Majority side during the resumption of Parliamentary sittings on Tuesday and called upon Speaker Wetangula to honour the court ruling.
“The court decided that the Azimio side is the majority coalition. As a parliament, we need to obey court rulings even if we do not agree with them,” she said.
Lawyer Kibe Mungai has waded into the saga and said the court had already determined that the question of the majority party was settled by Kenyan voters in the August 9, 2024, General Elections.
Mungai argued that Wetangula’s continued assertions go against the court’s decision and raise concerns about constitutional compliance.
He pointed out that as a litigant in the case, Wetangula has no legal authority to determine or enforce the ruling in favor of his political coalition.
Furthermore, he noted that the court ruled the Speaker cannot hold both his parliamentary role and leadership positions in Ford-Kenya and Kenya Kwanza, adding to the legal questions surrounding his position.
In his letter, Kibe Mungai called on Wetangula to resign from his leadership role in Ford-Kenya and Kenya Kwanza by February 14, 2025, and to ensure the immediate implementation of the court ruling, which recognizes Azimio La Umoja as the majority party. He states that failure to comply could lead to legal action, including possible contempt of court proceedings. His intervention adds to the ongoing debate about the implications of the ruling and the political and legal consequences that may follow.
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