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Eyes on House as MPs react to Majority ruling

National

By Edwin Nyarangi | Feb 11, 2025

Committee on Appointments members Majority leader Kimani Ichungwa (left) and Suna East MP Minority Whip Junet Mohamed during day one of the vetting of CSs at the Mini Chambers, County Hall,Nairobi. January 14th,2025. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Focus will be on the National Assembly as it resumes its sittings this afternoon following a court ruling that declared Azimio la Umoja coalition as the majority party in the House, and not Kenya Kwanza Alliance.

It will be interesting to see if legislators who have considered themselves as belonging to the minority side will take their rightful seats, legally speaking, on the majority side, as the majority MPs abide by the court decision and take their seats on the minority side.

Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse, elected on Maendeleo Chap Chap party ticket — one of the parties associated with the Azimio coalition that opted to exit — termed the court ruling as "overtaken by events" and stated that they are moving to the Court of Appeal.

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“I am also aware that most of the affected political parties that were formerly in Azimio Coalition have either signed or are in the process of finalizing post-election coalition agreements with Kenya Kwanza, this effectively renders the judgement practically nugatory,” said Mutuse.

He said that Maendeleo Chap Chap Party associated with Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua satisfied all the requirements to leave Azimio Coalition in January 2024 after sending a notification to the office of the Registrar of Political Parties.

Nyaribari Masaba MP Daniel Manduku (ODM) applauded the court ruling stating that the Azimio coalition MPs will take their seats on the right side of the Speaker with Suna East MP Junet Mohammed replacing Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichungwah as the Majority Leader on Tuesday afternoon.

“I applaud the Judiciary for its bold decision in upholding the constitution and the rule of law. We the Azimio coalition members shall take our seats on the right side of the Speaker and Junet Mohammed shall replace Kimani Ichungwah as the majority leader,” said Manduku.

North Mugirango MP Joash Nyamoko(UDA) termed the court ruling as inconsequential stating the status quo will be maintained with Kenya Kwanza maintaining its position as the majority party in the house with most of the parties that exited Azimio having finalized their coalition agreements.

Nyamoko said the fact that the majority and minority side are working together makes it easier unlike in the past. He said the main parties will handle the matter politically since the country has moved on since August 2022 with realignment in political circles.

National Assembly Chief Whip Silvanus Osoro asked their critics not to celebrate yet over the court ruling terming it as good jurisprudence for academic use equating it to someone throwing a stone at airplane that is 35,000 feet above sea level with an intention of bringing it down.

Kitutu Chache South MP Anthony Kibagendi(ODM) and Kilgoris MP Julius Sunkuli(KANU) said that they are waiting for instructions from their parties on whether to continue occupying their current position or move to the other side.

The three-judge bench comprising Justices John Chigiti, Jairus Ngaah and Lawrence Mugambi nullified National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula decision to declare Kenya Kwanza as the majority alliance and instead they declared the Azimio la Umoja side as the majory side instead.

The three judges pointed out that Wetangula acted unreasonably when he assigned to the Kenya Kwanza alliance the 14 members of the Azimio coalition who had resigned from the outfit.

The MPs were drawn from the United Democratic Movement (UDM), Movement for Democracy and Growth (MDG), Maendeleo Chap Chap (MCC), and Pamoja African Alliance (PAA)

The three judges said that when Wetangula signed an affidavit in court to oppose the case, he did not provide any evidence of any post-election agreements involving the said parties and the Kenya Kwanza Alliance.