Today morning’s National Assembly sitting has been scrapped as the House remains without an agenda due to delays in forming the House Business Committee (HBC). This comes in the wake of a dramatic standoff over the Majority and Minority designation following a recent High Court ruling.
The HBC, a powerful committee responsible for setting the House’s calendar and approving business before it is tabled, has yet to be constituted. Its formation is typically the first order of business after the long annual recess, ensuring smooth legislative operations. However, on Tuesday, chaos erupted in the House as the Minority side, citing the court ruling, demanded recognition as the Majority, disrupting the approval process for the committee members.
Speaker Moses Wetangula, who chairs the HBC, ruled that consideration of the committee’s formation be stayed until he provides further guidance on the ruling’s implications. Consequently, with no committee in place, MPs have no agenda for Wednesday morning’s session, which is usually dedicated to Private Members’ Questions.
The dispute stems from a recent High Court ruling that annulled Wetang’ula’s 2022 decision, which had declared Kenya Kwanza the Majority side. The ruling effectively recognized Azimio as the Majority coalition, leading to turmoil in both the National Assembly and Senate. Opposition MPs, particularly from Raila Odinga’s ODM party, crossed over to the Majority seats on Tuesday, insisting that the ruling be enforced immediately.
During the heated session, MPs allied to Azimio called for Wetang’ula’s resignation, accusing him of making a politically biased ruling in 2022 that had favored Kenya Kwanza, which he had recognized as having 179 MPs compared to Azimio’s 157 at the time.
Under mounting pressure, Wetangula allowed MPs to debate the matter extensively but postponed a final ruling until Wednesday afternoon. His decision is expected to determine the way forward for the House, including whether the HBC can be constituted and if the Majority side will officially shift.
With Wednesday morning’s sitting scrapped, attention now shifts to the afternoon session, where the Speaker will provide his much-anticipated ruling. Until then, parliamentary business remains stalled, highlighting the broader political tensions shaping the legislature’s operations.
