John Methu breaks silence after occupying deputy president’s seat in Parliament
By Mabonga Makhanu, July 28, 2026Nyandarua Senator John Methu has broken his silence after National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula ordered him to vacate the seat reserved for the Deputy President in the Speaker’s Gallery during the swearing-in of newly elected Ol Kalou MP Sammy Douglas Kamau Ngotho.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, when members of Parliament and senators allied to the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) escorted the MP-elect to Parliament for his oath-taking ceremony, all donning party colours. Since senators are not members of the National Assembly, they followed the proceedings from the Speaker’s Gallery.
Methu occupies DP seat
As the ceremony was about to begin, Methu took a seat designated for the deputy president. Speaker Wetang’ula immediately directed him to move, explaining that the seat is exclusively reserved for the country’s second-in-command.
“Those Senators sitting in the gallery, will you vacate the Deputy President’s seat? I allowed you to the Speaker’s row and not to sit on the Deputy President’s seat,” Wetang’ula ordered.
The Speaker also faulted the sergeant-at-arms for failing to guide the senator before the proceedings began, saying the officer should have ensured Methu occupied the appropriate seat.
Responding to the incident in a statement shared on his social media pages later on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, Methu dismissed suggestions that he had intentionally occupied the seat, describing the incident as an innocent mistake.
Wetang’ula slams Methu
The senator explained that when he and his colleagues were ushered into the Speaker’s Gallery, fellow legislators jokingly encouraged him to occupy the prominent seat, since he is the party’s secretary general.
He insisted he was unaware that it was reserved for the Deputy President. He said he only learnt of its significance after Speaker Wetang’ula pointed it out, adding that he immediately vacated the seat as directed.
“I’ve seen some people blowing out of proportion an innocent mistake. When we were ushered to the Speaker’s Gallery at the National Assembly earlier today, my colleagues said, ‘SG, kalia hio kiti kubwa’, completely unaware that it’s the seat reserved for the Deputy President. I was later guided by the speaker and vacated promptly.” “Mi sikujua!” he added.
Methu further maintained that he had no prior knowledge that the seat was specifically reserved for the deputy president.
Methu slams Wetang’ula
Speaking later in the Senate, the DCP secretary general-designate expressed surprise at Wetang’ula’s handling of the matter, arguing that, having previously served as a senator, the Speaker should have recognised the delegation of DCP senators that had accompanied the Ol Kalou MP to Parliament.
He maintained that there had been no intention to breach parliamentary procedure and insisted the matter had been blown out of proportion despite his immediate compliance with the Speaker’s directive.