Wetangula faces first litmus test in the House on divisive majority ruling

The power struggle between Kenya Kwanza Alliance and Azimio One Kenya Coalition over the majority leader position will put National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula in a crunch as Parliament proceedings resume today.

President William Ruto’s alliance expects Wetangula to rule in their favour as the first business in the House since its official opening on Thursday is to form the House Business Committee (HBC).

Kikuyu Member of Parliament Kimani Ichung’wah of Kenya Kwanza and Ugunja MP, Opiyo Wandayi of Azimio will face off for the majority leader post.

“The Speaker will definitely be asked to make his considered determination on who is the leader of majority in the House today,” Ichung’wah said.

Wandayi, however, claimed that the speaker had no say in the matter.

“There’s nothing to be ruled on. It’s not within the province of the Speaker to decide to the House where the leader of majority and minority should come,” he said.

Wetangula had previously stated that he will rule on the matter if brought to his attention.

Azimio claim that it is the majority party in the National Assembly as confirmed by Registrar of Political Parties (RPP) Anne Nderitu in her letter to the acting Clerk of the National Assembly, Serah Kioko.

The letter outlines that the Azimio Coalition has 185 MPs of the 349 MPs in the National Assembly compared to 164 that went to Kenya Kwanza inclusive of the 12 elected independent parties who joined the alliance.

Article 108 of the Constitution states that the leader of the majority party shall be the person who is the leader in the House of the largest party or coalition of parties.

The leader of minority party shall also be the leader in the House of the second largest party or coalition.

The National Assembly Standing Orders provide that in constituting the HBC membership, the speaker shall be the chairman with leaders of majority and minority whips becoming automatic members alongside nine other members.