Since its re-establishment under the 2010 Constitution, the Kenyan Senate has seen the Majority Whip position change hands several times.

While Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale’s recent removal is the only such change under the Kenya Kwanza government, the role, including its auxiliary assistant positions, has frequently shifted as political parties or coalitions enforce party discipline.

Khalwale assumed the position in September 2022, during changes that also saw Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot appointed Senate Majority Leader by the Kenya Kwanza administration.

Also watch: Khalwale remains optimistic after his removal as majority whip.

Disciplinary issues

The influential yet low-profile role of party and coalition whips has largely been affected by discipline issues, as political outfits sought to rein in disobedience or perceived rebels.

In recent years, the 2018 handshake deal between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga led to frequent shifts in the role, with individual allegiance to party bosses playing a key part.

Prior to the 2022 election, perceived rebels from the Kieleweke and Tangatanga factions of the Jubilee government—such as Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika, his Muranga counterpart, Irungu Kang’ata, and Kimani Wamatangi—were among those removed.

The coming to power of William Ruto and the Kenya Kwanza government similarly saw individuals tasked with enforcing coalition unity under Senate Standing Orders targeted for removal.

In February 2021, Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka confirmed the ouster of Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata as Majority Chief Whip by the ruling Jubilee Party.

In a resolution made by the Majority Party Coalition meeting dated February 9, 2021, Kang’ata became a victim of the Jubilee Party purge against MPs showing blatant disloyalty.

‘Kang’ata wa Barua‘

Kang’ata was immediately replaced by his Kiambu counterpart, Kimani Wamatangi, during a Jubilee Parliamentary Group meeting at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).

Wamatangi, however, lasted only a year before Jubilee removed him after he defected to the then-Deputy President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

In a letter, the party stated that it had stripped him of his Senate leadership role following his public declaration to join UDA.

Other notable cases include Isiolo Senator Fatuma Dullo, who initially obtained a reprieve when the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) blocked Azimio la Umoja from removing her as Minority Whip in the Senate.

The prolonged ouster bid, which began in February 2023, succeeded in March 2024, when she was officially removed for her allegiance to the Kenya Kwanza coalition after it came to power.

She was replaced by Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina, who is deputised by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna.