NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 12 \u2013 National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang\u2019ula is set to rule Wednesday afternoon on the House\u2019s Majority and Minority status following a High Court decision declaring the Opposition as the Majority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ruling has sparked turmoil in Parliament, with Azimio coalition MPs mostly from Raila Odinga\u2019s ODM crossing over to the Majority side on Tuesday, insisting the court order be implemented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some demanded that Wetang\u2019ula step aside for Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss, accusing him of misleading the nation in 2022 when he declared Kenya Kwanza the Majority coalition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite ODM\u2019s recent alignment with the ruling coalition, the court\u2019s decision has disrupted existing political arrangements, with the opposition now asserting its claim to the Majority position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
House in Turmoil Over Ruling\u2019s Implementation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A heated debate erupted in the House on Tuesday as lawmakers clashed over the court ruling\u2019s implications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The court not only overturned Wetang\u2019ula\u2019s October 6, 2022, decision declaring Kenya Kwanza the Majority but also stated that he should have resigned as Ford Kenya party leader upon assuming the Speaker\u2019s office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Minority Leader Junet Mohammed, who sat on the Majority side on Tuesday, insisted the ruling must be obeyed unless successfully appealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA court ruling has only two options\u2014obey it or appeal it. There is no third way,\u201d Mohammed said, declaring his readiness to assume the role of Majority Leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Majority Leader Kimani Ichung\u2019wah countered, arguing the ruling did not explicitly determine the Majority and Minority sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe ruling only annulled your [Wetang\u2019ula\u2019s] October 2022 decision. The effect is that we revert to the status quo as of August 9, 2022,\u201d Ichung\u2019wah stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Legal and Political Divide<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo dismissed claims of ambiguity, asserting that Azimio must assume Majority status unless the ruling is overturned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf we respect the rule of law, let it be appealed. Until then, it must be implemented,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Majority Whip Silvanus Osoro argued that Parliament, as an independent arm of government, cannot be dictated to by the courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur laws grant you, Honorable Speaker, the power to declare the Majority and Minority sides,\u201d Osoro maintained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eldas MP Adan Keynan warned of a leadership crisis, saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe court quashed the ruling on Majority and Minority but did not clarify how this should be determined. We are back to square one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wetang\u2019ula Rejects Calls to Step Down<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Wetang\u2019ula dismissed calls for his resignation, stating there was no substantive motion before the House to warrant it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have read the judgment thoroughly, and nowhere does it cast aspersions on the Speaker. Yours truly does not engage in debate\u2014do not go down that route,\u201d he told MPs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With tensions running high, Wetang\u2019ula\u2019s ruling on Wednesday could set the stage for further legal and political battles over Parliament\u2019s leadership structure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The court not only overturned Wetang\u2019ula\u2019s October 6, 2022, decision declaring Kenya Kwanza the Majority but also stated that he should have resigned as Ford Kenya party leader upon assuming the Speaker\u2019s office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14288,"featured_media":766010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[1981,22598,22600,5481],"coauthors":[2156],"class_list":["post-766009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-stories","tag-featured","tag-majority","tag-minority","tag-wetangula"],"yoast_head":"\n