The National Assembly in session in November 2018. The office that advises Parliament on budget matters has issued a warning regarding the amount of money that is being used to service public debt.
The Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition is now considering withdrawing from the committee responsible for scheduling business in the National Assembly and refusing to nominate members to other House committees in a bid to paralyse House proceedings.
Azimio says this move is intended to pressure National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula to reverse his decision declaring President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza Alliance the majority party in the House, despite a court ruling that had overturned a similar decision in October 2022.
Minority Leader Junet Mohamed asserted that it will not be business as usual in Parliament, accusing Speaker Wetang'ula of bias against Azimio and insisting that both the standing orders and the law support their position.
"On this one, we are not letting it go. The court ruling was very clear and as Azimio we have our plans to disrupt business and create paralysis in the House," said Mr Mohamed.
The Raila Odinga-led coalition's plans include not participating in the powerful House Business Committee (HBC), which is chaired by the Speaker.
The committee is tasked with setting the House's calendar and prioritising bills and motions to be debated on the floor of the House.
Although the absence of Azimio members from the committee will not make a difference as it has a quorum to conduct business, the credibility of its decisions might under serious scrutiny, including court processes.
Mr Mohamed also said Azimio would not nominate members to all 18 committees whose terms expired on Tuesday until their grievances are resolved.
"We will not submit the names of our members to those committees, including the budget committee. If Kenya Kwanza wants to do business on its own, that's fine," said Mr Mohamed.
The Minority Leader also revealed that their members will not participate in the budget making process that officially started in the National Assembly after the tabling of the Budget Policy Statement (BPS) by the National Treasury.
"Even in the budget, none of our members will be there, let them make their own budget," Mr Mohamed said.
The Suna East lawmaker also said the plan to impeach the speaker was still on and that the coalition would give a firm direction next week.
'Consulting Wamunyoro'
"Consultations are ongoing and by next week, we will give you a direction. We are even consulting the people of Wamunyoro (reference to MPs allied to impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua). It's that serious," said Mr Mohamed.
Mr Mohamed accuses the speaker of unfairness during the debate to kick him out of office and as such, MPs allied to him would naturally side with his enemies.
"For now, we have business in Addis Ababa about the election of our party leader (Raila Odinga). After that, things will be clear," Mr Mohamed added.
On Tuesday, when Parliament resumed after the Christmas break, Speaker Wetang'ula had a difficult time dealing with Azimio MPs who sat in the majority and demanded to be recognised.
Mr Wetang'ula was jeered by the Azimio MPs every time he referred to Kimani Ichung’wah as the majority leader, forcing him to drop the label and refer to him simply as the Kikuyu MP.
The Azimio MPs also prevented Deputy Majority Leader and Kilifi North MP Owen Baya from tabling papers on the floor of the House, saying the role should be played by Mr Mohammed in the light of the court order.
Several Azimio MPs surrounded Mr Baya and tried to forcefully take the papers and hand them over to Mr Mohammed.
The commotion caused the Speaker to adjourn the matter and the papers were not handed over.
Azimio is considering continuing the same trend, coupled with walkouts from the chambers at any time as a sign of their displeasure with the speaker's decision.
The coalition on Wednesday threatened to initiate impeachment proceedings against Mr Wetang'ula following his ruling that Kenya Kwanza is the majority in the House despite a court order nullifying his October 6, 2022 communication.
Minority Whip Millie Odhiambo told the Speaker that despite being powerful in the decision that placed Azimio in the minority, they will continue to challenge him on the biased ruling.
Ms Odhiambo told Speaker Wetang'ula that while Azimio would respectfully accept his decision on the contentious matter, they would definitely take action.
"As those who adhere to the rule of law, I want to indicate that as Azimio, we very respectfully disagree with your communication. As Azimio, we will take further action. Let me not say much," said Ms Odhiambo.
