The Speaker of the National Assembly, Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Moses Wetang’ula, alongside the National Assembly, is urging the High Court to strike out a contempt of court application challenging his February 12, 2025 ruling on House leadership.
In a preliminary objection filed at the High Court, the Speaker argues that the contempt case, brought by 12 petitioners including Kenneth Njagi, Meshack Suba Churchill and Caroline Mogaka, is fundamentally flawed and violates the respondents’ right to a fair hearing.
The petition stems from Wetang’ula’s controversial declaration of Kenya Kwanza as the Majority Party and Azimio la Umoja One Kenya as the Minority Party—a decision the court previously faulted, citing a similar 2022 ruling.
However, Wetang’ula and the National Assembly, through their legal teams, argue there was no explicit court order directing them to act or refrain from action, and therefore, no grounds exist for contempt.
“There is no dispositive order… capable of being violated,” they argued, maintaining that the current contempt application seeks to introduce a new cause of action rather than enforce an existing one.
Justices Jairus Ngaah, John Chigiti, and Lawrence Mugambi have directed all parties to file responses within 10 days, with the matter scheduled for hearing on July 17, 2025.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly has already appealed the High Court’s ruling on House leadership at the Court of Appeal, setting the stage for a prolonged legal and political battle over parliamentary control.
