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A sharp split has emerged within the National Assembly ahead of the vetting of President William Ruto’s nominees for positions of Cabinet Secretaries this week.

At the heart of the latest split is a directive issued by Azimio la Umoja coalition co-Principal Kalonzo Musyoka to his Wiper party MPs to reject the nomination of four politicians allied to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) during vetting.

This coupled with a threat from a section of ODM MPs mainly from the former Western Province to reject the four nominees from their party on the grounds that their nomination does not have the party’ blessings nor those of Opposition leader Raila Odinga.

Over the weekend, Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka directed members in his party to reject the appointment of ODM members nominated for Cabinet Secretary positions. The party has two members in the committee, Robert Mbui and Stephen Mule.

Kalonzo told members of his party not to approve the appointment of the four when they will appear in parliament for vetting later this week.

The four ODM nominees are Nominated MP John Mbadi, former Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya, former Mombasa governor Ali Hassan Joho and Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi.

Oppressing Kenyans

“Those four names (Mbadi, Oparanya, Joho and Wandayi), when they come to parliament for vetting, Wiper members should vote ‘No’,” Kalonzo told Wiper legislators at Kyuso Full Gospel Church in Mwingi North constituency, Kitui county over the weekend. Kalonzo questioned how the four Cabinet nominees would work in a government that they strongly opposed on grounds of oppressing Kenyans.

The Wiper leader questioned the sincerity of the ODM leadership in making the appointments without informing him despite the fact that one of the nominees, Wandayi, is the coalition’s minority whip in the National Assembly. “I was never consulted on this matter. They even appointed the majority leader in the National Assembly without having the courtesy of informing me that the leadership in parliament will be affected,” Kalonzo said.