Sifuna Questions Court Order on Sabina Chege’s Retention

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has questioned the existence of the court order cited by Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetangula regarding his ruling to retain Sabina Chege as House Deputy Minority Whip.

Speaking on Thursday at Citizen TV, Sifuna argued that if indeed Wetangula was issued the court order, he should have served the minority Azimio la Umoja One Kenya side as the respondents.

“I don’t think there is a court order first of all because I have not seen it. It just doesn’t make any sense to me until I see it,” said Sifuna.

“The manner in which it was communicated…if you have a court order affecting me, you must serve me. If Deputy Minority Leader Robert Mbui has not seen that court order, Wetangula has not shown the minority party the order, then it is a suspicious order.”

The Nairobi senator further argued that no court judge would have issued the order as it was against the law.

“A court exercising properly its judicious mind to an application such as that, would be hesitant to issue a court order when challenging something passed a year ago,” said Sifuna.

“It reeks of forum shopping where people have identified a certain court that can issue favorable orders, reeks of interference by unseen hands and is wrong on all fronts because the standing orders of the National Assembly mirror those of the Senate and the Speaker has no role in determining the leadership of the minority side.”

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“In the last administration there was a spectre of fake court orders and the Judiciary had to develop a court order with a code so that you verify with the Registrar that this is a real court because I don’t believe that a person sitting in a position of a High Court judge knowing there is a forum for dispute resolution involving political parties and their members would issue such an order.”

On Thursday, Wetang’ula said a court order had been issued barring Chege’s removal. 

“Honorable members from the foregoing, my hands are tied with regard to the court order that has been brought to my attention,” he said.

“Until and unless further information is provided, that this order has been varied or set aside, the court order effectively suspends the decision by the minority party on the replacement of Sabina Chege as the deputy minority whip.”