Azimio now wants Sabina Chege to refund Jubilee Whip payments
Jubilee Party Nominated Member of Parliament Sabina Chege during a press conference by Jubilee Parliamentary Group members in Nairobi on October 25, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Azimio argues that the allocation of facilities to Ms Chege is misuse of public finance and unconstitutional.
- Speaker Wetang’ula recognised recognised Jubilee Party’s choice of Ms Chege as its whip.
Azimio la Umoja - One Kenya Coalition wants Jubilee Party Whip Sabina Chege to refund money paid to her courtesy of the position, arguing that the post is unconstitutional.
The coalition wants the High Court to declare the recognition of the Jubilee Party as a parliamentary party discriminatory and illegal, and to abolish the post.
In a ruling, the Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula recognised the Jubilee Party as a parliamentary party and recognised the party’s choice of Ms Chege as its whip.
The Speaker also ordered the facilitation of the Jubilee Party whip by the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC).
But Azimio argues that the allocation of facilities to Ms Chege as the interim whip of Jubilee Party, while being a member of the coalition is misuse of public finance and therefore, unconstitutional.
“The petitioner asserts that the respondent’s action of recognising Jubilee Party as a parliamentary party infers removal of Jubilee party from the petitioner’s coalition without following the procedure stipulated,” Mr Wycliffe Oparanya, the chair of the Azimio national coalition executive council said in an affidavit.
Azimio argues that the recognition is procedurally unfair, impedes access to justice and is unconstitutional.
The opposition outfit also states that the recognition of Jubilee Party as a parliamentary party while not recognizing other parliamentary parties is discriminatory and unconstitutional.
On April 13, Azimio la Umoja wrote to Mr Wetang’ula communicating its resolution to remove Ms Chege as the Deputy Minority Whip.
Mr Wetang’ula at the same time indicated that he has received an application from one of the factions of Azimio to have Jubilee party recognised as a parliamentary party.
The Speaker later recognised Jubilee as a parliamentary party but Azimio la Umoja opposed the move stating that Jubilee party was still a member of its coalition.
Mr Oparanya indicated that the disagreements within the Jubilee party over different factions can only be resolved by the National Delegate Conference of the party and to the best of his knowledge, none has been held.
“For that reason, Jubilee party has never withdrawn from being a member of Azimio la Umoja Coalition,” he said.
He said in the circumstances, Jubilee Party cannot be recognised as a parliamentary party independent of Azimio la Umoja as that would be tantamount to undermining the coalition agreements between the parties.
