Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition has given National Assembly speaker Moses Wetangula until Tuesday next week to announce the removal of Sabina Chege as Deputy Minority.
The Azimio leaders accused speaker Wetangula of taking sides on the issue and failing to issue a definite timeline on when he will announce Sabina Chege’s removal.
Moreover, minority leader Opiyo Wandayi stated that Sabina Chege was removed as a deputy minority whip after a resolve was made during a parliamentary group in Machakos County.
“If we don’t get the communication being given to the house on Tuesday then it will not be business as usual in this house. We have restrained ourselves for more than six months, but we are being subjected to endless provocations,” Wandayi said.
Wandayi said no forces will be allowed to suppress operations of the minority coalition in the August House. He further accused Wetangula of taking sides in the coalition debates instead of remaining neutral on the issue as per his mandate.
“We are reading mischief on the part of the Speaker of the National Assembly, we are beginning to see that he is starting to listen to the third parties, to forces outside the house and immersing himself in politics of coalitions,” he added.
Likewise, the Azimio outfit maintained there was no need for a debate on the matter, saying the minority coalition cannot be criticized on decision they make as a coalition.
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“Which just expected him to communicate but he when he attempted to do so, he veered off. He took a tangent and instead of communicating he brought in some extraneous issues about letters by some members of Jubilee,” Wandayi noted.
In addition, a heated debate ensued when Speaker Wetangula communicated the changes endeavoring to remove Chege as the deputy minority whip.
Furthermore, Chege in an attempt to defend herself, challenged her removal from the position seeking more time to reach a consensus.
“Mr Speaker the changes were made outside the constitution and the standing orders as I was not involved in arriving to the communication,” she stated.
“The due process was not followed, this is more of harassment and intimidation as no Parliamentary group meeting was held over the matter,” she added.
She argued that Jubilee Party had started a process of detaching itself from the minority coalition saying it should be recognized as parliamentary party.
“We deserve to have our position; we can’t deserve to be ignored when we are second largest party in Azimio with 28 members. We beg for more time so that we can table deliberations that will follow. This communication is null and void,” Sabina Chege stated.
However, Opiyo Wandayi dismissed her argument saying that Jubilee Party renounced their rights to be a parliamentary party having been considered part of the minority coalition.
“When you choose to be part of a minority or majority party you relinquish your rights to be a parliamentary party. I want you, Mr Speaker, to uphold the dignity of this house and announce the removal of Sabina,” he said before the house.
“I have not communicated the replacement of Sabina Chege therefore she doesn’t know whether the replacement will be from Jubilee or not. So, it would be premature to claim that Jubilee Party is being punished,” Wandayi added.
