Members of Parliament affiliated with the Kenya Kwanza alliance and the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition party continued their spat on Tuesday over which of the two political coalitions holds the majority in the National Assembly.
When Speaker Moses Wetangula allowed them to deliberate on the aforementioned matter before making a final decision on it, the rival politicians both maintained that their political affiliations reigned supreme in the House in terms of having more numbers and sway over Parliamentary proceedings.
According to Laikipia North MP Sarah Korere, the Constitution currently recognizes Azimio as the official majority party.
However, Kenya Kwanza-allied Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah responded saying: “I think Korere is completely out of order because there is nothing in the Constitution, either in Article 107 or Article 108, that decrees that a party by name is the majority party and I think it is important that she withdraws that statement because it is defilement of the Constitution to purport that the constitution decrees Azimio as the majority party.”
Ganze MP Kenneth Kazungu opined on recent developments in which Azimio affiliate parties have defected to Kenya Kwanza, further undermining the coalition’s chances of achieving majority status in Parliament.
According to Kazungu, the shift in political allegiances should come as no surprise given Azimio’s alleged dismissal of affiliate party support on the campaign trail in the days leading up to the August 9th election.
“Nikisimama hapa nashangaa kuskia ya kwamba watu wa Azimio-One Kenya coalition wanasema kuwa chama cha PAA ni miongoni mwa vile vyama viko katika muungano huo. PAA kilitoka katika muungano wa Azimio on May 8, 2022, miezi mitatu kabla ya uchaguzi na hii ilifanyika kwa sababu hii ndoa ya PAA na Azimio ilikuwa si ndoa sawa kwa sababu kulikuwa na mizozano sana,” he said.
“Watu wa Azimio walikuwa wamejaa kiburi na walikuwa wamejaa madharau. Kama hawakuwa wanatutaka wakati huo, nashindwa ni kwa nini mnatutaka saa hii.”
His sentiments were countered by Azimio-allied Nominated MP Sabina Chege, who pointed out that the coalition party documents signed by the aforementioned affiliate parties bound them to Azimio despite their change of heart.
She also alluded to the alleged confirmation of Azimio’s majority status in the National Assembly by the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP).
“Even if they go the document they signed, whether they had read it or not, is binding and so Azimio coalition has several parties and we are the majority,” she said.
“I know you have received communication from the Registrar of Political Parties so we are not disputing who the majority is, give us a chance and agree on the way forward to form the House Business Committee so that then we can serve the people of Kenya.”
Similarly, Chege’s Azimio counterpart and fellow Nominated MP John Mbadi reiterated that Azimio-affiliated parties are still part of the larger Azimio la Umoja One Kenya umbrella, despite recent cases of defection.
“Hon. Sylvanus Osoro was saying that you cannot stop a political party from going to bed with another. Yes, you can’t stop anybody from going to bed with another but you can stop another marriage before the earlier marriage is dissolved,” he said.
Another Azimio loyalist, Alego Usonga MP Sam Atandi, implied that Speaker Wetangula would be undermining the Constitution by designating Kenya Kwanza as the majority in Parliament, despite the alleged ORPP rejoinder.
“Confine yourself to the Standing Orders of this House which say that the authority from where you are supposed to receive the guidelines on the majority leadership of members of this House is the Registrar of Political Parties,” he said.
“I want to urge you to restrict yourself to that standing order when you make your decision on this matter because we cannot purport to be guiding you on which side is majority when the law is also very clear. If you rule in any other way then you are mutilating this democracy.”
Speaker Wetangula, on the other hand, has postponed the appointment of Majority and Minority leaders in the House until a later date to be announced in the coming days.
