Speaker Wetangula approves removal of Sabina Chege as Deputy Minority Whip
After five months
of back and forth, court rulings and threats from all different quarters,
Nominated Member of Parliament Sabina Chege has finally been removed as the
National Assembly Deputy Minority Whip.
Speaker Moses
Wetangula’s ruling on Wednesday afternoon brought to an end the confusion that
has been in the minority party over her leadership, with Embakasi West MP Mark
Mwenje taking over as deputy to his Suna Eest counterpart Junet Mohamed.
The saga has
rumbled on since April 6 when the minority coalition party made a communication
to the Speaker with an intention to replace Sabina with Mwenje, after she
indicated that she would henceforth be working with the government.
“That there
currently exist no bar against the decision made by the minority party to
replace its Whip. Standing order 20a(5) requires the Speaker to communicate the
decision to replace the Whip to the House, in this regard, Hon Mark Mwenje
forth replaces Sabina Chege as the Deputy Whip of the minority party,” Speaker Wetangula
ruled.
This was after the
Kiambu High Court threw out a case by Sabina challenging her removal from office
and directed her to exhaust the party resolution mechanism.
The Speaker
however lamented the disarray in the Jubilee Party having received several
conflicting correspondences over the status of the party in the Azimio la Umoja
One Kenya coalition party.
In his ruling, Wetangula
directed Jubilee Party to be recognized as a Parliamentary party, in view of
having more than 18 MPs required by the standing orders, and 21 MPs supporting
Sabina Chege.
“The Jubilee Party
is hereby recognized as a Parliamentary party, but this recognition does not in
any way elevate it or affect the status given to the majority party and the
minority party by the Constitution and the standing orders,” he stated.
While thanking the
Speaker for his ruling, Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi however said Sabina has
been holding the office illegally for 5 months, hence wanted Mwenje to be
adequately compensated.
“Our position as a
party is that Sabina has been holding that office illegally, Mwenje has been
working since the 30th of May 2023, and he deserves to be compensated for the
work he has been doing,” Wandayi told the House.
However, his
counterpart in the majority, Kimani Ichung’wah differed with him insisting that
the decision should take effect from Thursday.
“The decision
takes effect from today, there were issues that stopped you from making that
decision including embargos from the courts, the only issue that lingers in my
mind is that why would Mwenje be a deputy minority whip of the minority coalition
and yet Jubilee is a Parliamentary party?” Ichung’wah posed.
“It may be
construed that Mwenje has then defected from Jubilee and joined either Wiper
Party or ODM, and that would then force a by election.”
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