Azimio calls for removal of Speaker Wetang'ula for defying High Court ruling on majority party
The opposition has questioned why the Jubilee Party is now being recognised as part of Azimio, despite Wetang'ula's earlier ruling stating that the party had defected to Kenya Kwanza.
The opposition coalition, Azimio la Umoja, has threatened to impeach National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula, accusing him of bias and defying a High Court ruling declaring Azimio as the House's majority coalition.
Leading the charge, Minority Leader Junet Mohammed criticised Wetang'ula's handling of the matter, particularly his inconsistent stance on 14 MPs who defected from Azimio after signing post-election agreements with Kenya Kwanza.
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"When he made his first ruling, which was overturned by the court, he claimed the 14 members were part of Kenya Kwanza. Now, he says they are in political limbo — neither in Azimio nor Kenya Kwanza. This is a deliberate manipulation of numbers to ensure Kenya Kwanza remains the majority," Junet stated.
The opposition also questioned why the Jubilee Party was now being recognised as part of Azimio, despite Wetang'ula's earlier ruling stating that the party had defected to Kenya Kwanza.
"We have always maintained that Jubilee is still part of Azimio, yet today he says the party is in Azimio. This ruling is full of contradictions and will be overturned in court, just like the previous one. Parliament is not immune to constitutional interpretation by the courts — it is not a court of appeal," he added.
Allegations of suppression
The opposition also took issue with Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss for writing to the Registrar of Political Parties to seek details on post-election agreements, questioning her motives.
"It's going to be messy and noisy, and there will be casualties, I can promise you. The way Parliament is being handled is alarming. While we see broad-based governance in the executive, Parliament is becoming one-sided," Junet warned.
Minority Whip Millie Odhiambo noted that political agreements must be guided by the law and accused the Speaker of deliberately suppressing Azimio's numbers.
"The 14 members who are supposedly in a political vacuum have done so to deny Azimio its rightful majority. Despite shifting political alliances, legal frameworks must be respected," she stated.
Minority Deputy Leader Robert Mbui also condemned Wetang'ula's conduct, accusing him of bias and suppressing opposition voices during debates.
"We have confirmed that the Speaker is not impartial. Throughout the debate, we noticed he was silencing us and blocking some of us from contributing. This is unacceptable and amounts to poor parliamentary practice," Mbui said.
Contested ruling
Wetang'ula upheld Kenya Kwanza as the majority coalition in the National Assembly despite the High Court's decision nullifying his initial declaration.
He cited post-election agreements filed with the Registrar of Political Parties as a key factor in determining the majority status.
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According to documents from the Registrar, 14 MPs from five political parties – People's Liberation Party, Maendeleo Chap Chap Party, Devolution Empowerment Party, United Democratic Movement, and Pamoja African Alliance – had exited Azimio, effectively denying the coalition the majority it sought.
"Arising from the foregoing, the Kenya Kwanza coalition is the majority party, and the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party is the minority party in the House," Wetang'ula ruled.
However, Azimio MPs claim that Wetang'ula ignored legal advice from the National Assembly's legal department, which had reportedly advised him to recognise Azimio as the majority side and to refrain from appealing the High Court ruling.
"The contradiction in the Speaker's communication is glaring. This is a communication that will be taken back to the court for quashing. The House is not the Court of Appeal to overturn the High Court decision as Mr Wetang'ula has just done,” Junet said.
He further asserted that Azimio remains the majority coalition, a position it achieved through the sovereign will of the electorate in the August 9, 2022 General Election.
"The least we expected from the Speaker was for him to tell us that there is a stay of the court judgment. We must be guided by the law," Odhiambo added.
Mounting scrutiny
Wetang'ula has faced mounting scrutiny since assuming the Speaker's position, particularly due to his continued leadership of the Ford Kenya party, which has six MPs in the House.
The High Court has ruled that his dual role as Speaker and party leader is unconstitutional as it undermines his impartiality.
Azimio MPs argue that Wetang'ula's refusal to relinquish his party leadership further proves his bias and lack of neutrality.
Calls for his impeachment appear to be the coalition's next course of action.
Azimio MPs were also angered by Wetang'ula's decision to allow his deputy, Gladys Boss, to write to the Registrar of Political Parties seeking clarification on coalition agreements — a move they argue contradicts Standing Orders and parliamentary procedures.
The Speaker's critics say his inconsistencies in first assigning the 14 defecting MPs to Kenya Kwanza and now ruling that they are in political limbo prove he is untrustworthy.
"This is not a man to trust," Junet declared.
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