National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula is in the eye of a storm over his alleged dalliance with President William Ruto’s administration.
With the National Assembly resuming its sittings next Tuesday after a three-week break apparently prompted by the storming of Parliament by anti-tax protesters, questions have emerged about how Wetang’ula, a key Ruto ally, will steer the House business in the wake of nationwide demos against the government.
Besides his role as Speaker, Wetang’ula is also still the Ford Kenya leader.
MPs return from their recess against the backdrop of countrywide protests against the government over corruption, a high cost of living, opulence among officials and highhandedness, with most Kenyans saying they have lost confidence in Parliament, which they accuse of turning itself into an appendage of the Executive.
Public confidence
Before the House went on recess, young protesters stormed Parliament Buildings to express their anger at MPs who had voted for the contentious Finance Bill 2024, which had been rejected by most Kenyans. To add insult to injury, the next day MPs approved the deployment of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) personnel on the streets of Nairobi to quell the protests.
Questions are now arising over how MPs, who have already lost public confidence, will conduct themselves when debating contentious issues such as reexamining the dropped finance bill, reviewing proposed budget cuts, and vetting new Cabinet secretaries and the Inspector General of Police.
The 13th Parliament has earned notoriety for approving some of President Ruto’s nominees for public positions without any regard to their integrity, past records and suitability.
Under Wetang’ula’s watch, the National Assembly enacted some laws that were later declared unconstitutional by courts
Several individuals with pending corruption cases in courts and even those with criminal records have been endoirsed by the House.
“The next session is going to be a litmus test for both Wetang’ula and the MPs, as people would be watching keenly to see whether they kowtow to the Executive’s whims or defend public interest,” says Prof Macharia Munene, a lecturer at USIU-Africa.
Prof Macharia says he hopes that MPs learnt a lesson from the public outrage that led to the storming of Parliament and that they will be more careful in their utterances.
‘No bias’
But yesterday, Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa defended Wetang’ula, saying he has performed his duties diligently without any bias, and urged Kenyans to delink politics from professional matters.
“It is true that our Ford Kenya party leader is a friend to the President, but that has not hindered him from performing his job as required,” Barasa said.
“Have you seen any MP raising questions over his performance or threatening to impeach him? Shouldn’t that tell you that he is an impartial player as a Speaker?”
Asked about Wetang’ula presiding over the passing of some laws that ended up being declared unconstitutional by courts, Barasa put the blame on MPs.
“That is not the work of the Speaker but MPs who are supposed to make amendments. He is not involved in the enactment of laws,” Barasa said.
Wetang’ula has been accused of making rulings that favour the government.
As recently as June 19, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna led his ODM colleagues in the Senate in accusing Wetang’ula of micromanaging debates in favour of the Kenya Kwanza alliance.
“Speaker Wetang’ula is running the House like a DJ at a disco matanga in Matisi. He is controlling the mic himself, shutting the mic at any time and interjecting every time a member opposed to the government is making a contribution. He should let the debate flow,” Sifuna.
House leadership
Nominated Senator Godfrey Osotsi expressed similar sentiments. “Moses Wetang’ula is running the National Assembly like a baraza in Kamukunji Market, where there is no appreciation of the fact that a Speaker should be impartial, independent and must be fair,” Osotsi observed.
Besides the focus on Wetang’ula, Kenyans are also waiting to see whether President Ruto will initiate any changes in the House leadership after dismissing his entire Cabinet following a public uproar over what many saw as the arrogance and insensitivity of officials.
Eyes are particularly focused on Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wa and Finance and Planning Committee chairperson Kimani Kuria, who are believed to have been the brains behind the finance bill, Budget and Appropriations Committee chairperson Ndindi Nyoro and Majority Whip Sylvanus Osoro, and Deputy Majority Whip Owen Baya.
Ichung’wa told off young people protesting against the bill.
“The Gen Z have iPhones and use Ubers to protest. Wanatoka maandamano wanaingia KFC kukula kuku na minofu, maji ni ile ya chup[a…si mliwaona? Hawajui shida ya stima ni kitu gani…wako na umeme 24/7,” Ichung’wa had observed at the start of the protests, words that he later apologised for and retracted.
Controversial ruling
Wetang’ula has made controversial rulings touching on the affordable housing bill, the finance bills for 2023 and 2024, the decision on which coalition between Kenyan Kwanza and Azimio had a majority of MPs in the House, and the fate of nominated MP Sabina Chege as minority whip.
He was left with egg on his face after ruling that Chege’s Jubilee faction had joined Kenya Kwanza despite the High Court ruling otherwise.
In February this year, Opposition leader Raila Odinga called for Wetang’ula’s removal from office after he sued in the Supreme Court to appeal the decision of the Court of Appeal on the housing levy. The appellate court had affirmed the decision of the High Court declaring the levy as illegal and unconstitutional.
“Moses Wetang’ula does not deserve to be speaker of the National Assembly, ” Raila had retorted.
He added: “The law emanated from Parliament and President Ruto signed it … Now that some people have gone to court, no Speaker all over the world has the authority to move to court.”
Wetang’ula moved to the Supreme Court to appeal an appellate court decision after MPs passed the 2023/2024 finance bill that made it mandatory for salaried employees to pay a 1.5 percent housing levy.
Minority Leader and Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi had in 2022 announced that some lawmakers were planning to impeach Wetang’ula after he declined to accept the removal of Chege as deputy minority whip.
“Things cannot move in this manner in this House anymore. We have decided to bring a motion of impeachment against the Speaker of National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula,” Wandayi said then.
The Opposition’s move came after Wetang’ula allowed Chege to continue holding the position after he recognised Jubilee as a parliamentary party because it garnered more than 18 MPs in the elections.
Wetang’ula had previously agreed to have Chege removed as deputy minority whip after Azimio sued him for giving her illegal and preferential treatment though the coalition had removed her from the position due to her association with with Kenya Kwanza.
After Azimio stripped Chege of the deputy minority whip position, Wetang’ula ruled in her favour, stating that she would take up the Jubilee Party’s whip position on an interim basis, a move viewed by some as an attempt to strengthen Kenya Kwanza’s numerical position in the House.
Wetang’ula was also recently on the receiving end after allowing debate on the controversial 2024 Finance Bill during a session characterised by noise and heckling from members of the opposition MPs opposed to it.
He is on record telling opposition MPs to refrain from criticising the bill at funerals and other public events but instead help the public understand the benefits contained in it better, a position that was viewed to have been in support of the government’s stand.
“You are the people who come up with the budget proposals through your committees, please save the public agony and refrain from standing before the public and lamenting much about the Finance Bill 2024 yet you are the ones to come up with the budget proposals,” Wetang’ula said.