MPs will miss Wednesday morning’s sitting, usually reserved for Private Members’ Questions, as the House has yet to set its business.
This follows a standoff in the National Assembly on Tuesday afternoon when the Minority side demanded recognition as the Majority in line with a High Court ruling.
The chaos delayed the approval of members set to sit in the House Business Committee (HBC), chaired by Speaker Moses Wetang’ula.
The powerful committee is responsible for determining the House’s calendar and approving all business before it is tabled.
It includes the Majority and Minority leaders, their respective Whips, and nine other members nominated by parliamentary parties and approved by MPs in a plenary session at the start of each session.
The formation of the HBC is the House’s first order of business upon resumption from the long annual recess and is usually prioritized to set the agenda and calendar.
However, MPs returned from their Christmas recess on Tuesday
to turmoil after a High Court ruling annulled Speaker Wetang’ula’s 2022
decision that had declared Kenya Kwanza the Majority side.
“I will order that the matter [consideration of the formation of the HBC] be stayed,” Wetang’ula ruled on Tuesday afternoon, promising to guide the House on the Majority and Minority.
On Wednesdays, the House typically holds both morning and afternoon sittings to conduct business.
The morning sitting begins at 9:30 am while the afternoon one starts at 2:30 pm.
However, until the Speaker provides direction on the court ruling and paves the way for the HBC’s formation, MPs have no business to transact.
Wetang’ula is expected to address the House on Wednesday
afternoon regarding the ongoing Majority and Minority dispute, following
Tuesday’s dramatic events.
On Tuesday, the Minority side occupied seats reserved for the Majority, citing the High Court ruling that declared Azimio the Majority coalition.
The ruling has sparked turmoil in both the Senate and National Assembly, with MPs allied to Raila Odinga’s ODM crossing over to the Majority side and demanding enforcement of the order.
As the House debated the ruling’s implications, Speaker Wetang’ula faced calls for his resignation over his October 2022 decision, which recognized Kenya Kwanza as having 179 MPs compared to Azimio’s 157.
Under mounting pressure, he allowed MPs to debate the issue
before making a formal ruling on Wednesday.
