Kenya Kwanza Alliance and Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party are set to clash in the National Assembly today over the position of majority leader, after both claimed it.
The power struggle has already sucked in National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, with the President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza camp eager for him to rule in their favor.
The formation of the House Business Committee (HBC) will be the first order of business for the National Assembly following its official opening last Thursday.
House leaders serve on the HBC, which schedules business to be done, emphasizing the importance of resolving the dispute. Kimani Ichung’wah (Kenya Kwanza) of Kikuyu and Opiyo Wandayi (Azimio) of Ugunja are battling for the position of majority leader.
“The Speaker will definitely be asked to make his considered determination on who is the leader of majority in the House today,” Mr Ichung’wah said. “But from where I sit, I am [that person] because Kenya Kwanza [has most MPs].”
Mr Wandayi made similar claims, claiming that the Speaker has no say in the matter because the law is “as clear as it sounds.”
“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, even as Belgut MP Nelson Koech insists that the Speaker has the final word.
Mr Wetang’ula has previously stated that if the matter is brought to his attention, he will rule on it. Dr. Ruto stated that his coalition has a majority in the National Assembly while speaking to the Kenya Kwanza Parliamentary Group in Naivasha.
According to Article 108 of the Constitution, the leader of the majority party is the person who is the leader of the largest party or coalition of parties in the House.
It also states that the minority party’s leader in the House must be the leader of the second largest party or coalition of parties.
According to the National Assembly Standing Orders, the Speaker will be the chairman of the HBC, with the majority and minority leaders, as well as the majority and minority whips, becoming automatic members alongside nine other members.
If the House approves the names of the nine members who will serve on the HBC, the House will rise for the day while the committee convenes to schedule the business that will be conducted in the House tomorrow morning and afternoon, Thursday afternoon, and Tuesday next week.
If the names are not adopted, the House will not sit because there is no business to be done.
Mr. Odinga’s Azimio maintains that it is the majority party in the National Assembly, as confirmed by Registrar of Political Parties (RPP) Anne Nderitu in a letter to the acting Clerk of the National Assembly, Ms Serah Kioko, on September 7.
According to the letter, the 26 political parties that signed the Azimio coalition agreement on April 21 received 185 of the 349 MPs in the National Assembly, compared to 164 for Kenya Kwanza, including the 12 elected as independents in the August 9 elections.
In the 67-member Senate, Kenya Kwanza has already won the majority party with 36 Senators, compared to Azimio’s 30 and one independent senator.
