'I was just playing my role!' Wandayi defends past criticism of Kenya Kwanza Gov't

Energy Cabinet Secretary nominee Opiyo Wandayi has defended himself for frequently slamming President William Ruto's administration and policies, in his immediate former capacity as National Assembly Minority Leader.

Appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Appointments for vetting on Saturday, the Ugunja MP, who gave up his Minority Leader position after accepting his ministerial nomination, insisted that his past criticisms were within his rights and responsibilities as a legislator.

"I was simply playing my role and it must be clearly understood that under Article 94, 95 and 96 of the Constitution, Parliament, regardless of which side you are sitting, has got a collective duty to oversight the Executive, legislate and also represent our electors," he said.

"It only follows that I happen to have come from the party to which the President and the Executive do not belong. There is a misnomer here because people tend to think that the President and his team must come from the majority side."

Wandayi added that his past utterances should not be seen as a disqualifying factor for his new ministerial nomination.

"I was simply paying my role as an MP but above all else I was the leader of Minority and I was leading my troops in putting the government to check without any prejudice," he said.

"There is no contradiction whatsoever in what I believed in then and I believe in now. I simply believe that I have been called to perform a national duty and as a patriotic Kenyan, I have responded positively to the call."