Azimio to unveil House leadership positions on Monday

Azimio la Umoja coalition leader Raila Odinga addresses elected leaders under the Azimio coalition.

Azimio la Umoja coalition leader Raila Odinga addresses elected leaders under the Azimio coalition at the Stoni Athi Resort in Machakos County on September 16, 2022.

Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Azimio will share out the positions of leader of majority, deputy leader of majority as well as whip and the deputy whip to member parties to avoid conflict and division.
  • The coalition insisted that they were the majority in the House and thus would go for the majority positions and not those of the minority.
  • The coalition says each party is to give proposals of names by Monday and that the committee leadership will also be shared equally among members.

The Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition party has said it will unveil the names of persons it has nominated to various House leadership positions in Parliament on Monday.

In the agreement made at a retreat today led by the coalition's leader Raila Odinga, Azimio will share out the positions of leader of majority, deputy leader of majority as well as whip and the deputy whip to member parties to avoid conflict and division.

The coalition insisted that they were the majority in the House and thus would go for the majority positions and not those of the minority.

"We are the largest party in Parliament, we deserve to have the majority leader and whip position," Narc Kenya Party leader Martha Karua said.

The coalition says each party is to give proposals of names by Monday and that the committee leadership will also be shared equally among members.

Azimio la Umoja coalition Leader Raila Odinga addresses elected leaders under the Azimio coalition.

Azimio la Umoja coalition Leader Raila Odinga addresses elected leaders under the Azimio coalition at the Stoni Athi Resort in Machakos county on September 16, 2022.

Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group

The coalition is on a two-day retreat at Stoni Athi Resort in Machakos County to deliberate on the sharing of leadership positions in the National Assembly and Senate as the 13th Parliament prepares for business after the August 9 elections.

Mr Odinga said that the role of the Parliament will be to save the Judiciary which he said was "offering itself to state capture" as well as to transform the Independent and Electoral Boundaries Commission.

The party leader who was also joined by Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka said another role the MPs would play was to stop the Executive from offering itself to conducting state capture. 

"Parliament must stand up and preserve our multi-party politics. When the law does not rule, thuggery does. We have a responsibility as Azimio to take charge and use our majority in Parliament to keep this government in check," Raila said.

Mr Odinga said the recent swearing-in of judges by President William Ruto was an attempt of the Executive to capture the Judiciary.

"There is a push by the Executive to own the Judiciary through illegal actions that amount to bribery and that is why there was a rushed decision to swear in judges and allocate funds to the Judiciary. It is a plain attempt to capture the Judiciary through bribery,” Mr Odinga said.