Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga has hit back at National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula following a statement in which he blasted the opposition chief.
Wetangula had called out Raila over his remarks against the speaker’s move to appeal the decision of the Court of Appeal on the Finance Act, 2023 at the Supreme Court.
Through his lawyer, Odinga on February 14, 2024, in a strongly worded letter addressed to the office of the speaker of National Assembly, defended his earlier remarks.
“We have been alerted to a press statement dated 4th February 2024 signed by “Office of the Speaker, National Assembly of Kenya” and titled “Calling out the Former Prime Minister Hon. Raila Odinga for misleading the public and engaging in dirty politics,” read part of the letter.
According to the letter, the statement by Odinga was irked in criticism of the Speaker for different decisions made.
These included appearing at State House to witness the signing of the Finance Act 2023 into law by the President.
“When the Constitution requires the Speaker to present a bill to the President for his assent, it does not mean that he does so physically,” the letter added.
In Odinga’s defense, the lawyer noted that the phrase ” formally presenting the Bills for assent to the President” cannot be interpreted to mean walking over to the State House physically.
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The letter further added that it was ridiculous and scandalous for the statement to suggest that the Constitution meant so.
Raila Position
It is in this practice, the letter said, that the opposition chief stated that it was demeaning because no conveyance of the person of the Speaker bearing the legislative instrument is contemplated to do so.
The letter further added, “Clearly, it is not the advisers of Hon. Raila Odinga who are ignorant of the law but rather the author signing off as “Office of the Speaker, National Assembly of Kenya”.
According to the letter, the second matter addressed by Odinga was the Speaker filing a Notice of Appeal at the Supreme Court against the ruling of the Court of Appeal.
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The statement suggests that the Speaker did so because he has locus standi and a constitutional right of appeal.
Wetangula hits back
Hitting back at Raila in a February 4, 2024, statement, the speaker called out the ODM Party leader over verbal attack.
This included allegations that the Speaker had been “summoned” to the State House to witness the assent of Bills by the President William Ruto.
“It is quite embarrassing for the Former Prime Minister to be making statements that clearly portrays him and or his advisers or handlers as being ignorant of the law, in particular on the role of the Speaker of the National Assembly,” read the statement in part.