Ruto, Raila house seats fight in parliament to delay vetting of CSs
President William Ruto (Right) and opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Vetting of the Cabinet secretary nominees may be delayed following a stalemate on which party will appoint the Majority and the Minority leaders in the formation of the House Business Committee (HBC), a top organ that sets the day-to-day agenda to be transacted by MPs.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula ruled that other than the four-day debate on President William Ruto's address during the inaugural Joint Sitting of the 13th Parliament, no other critical business will be undertaken until the HBC is constituted.
Standing Orders require that MPs constitute the HBC as its first business for it to immediately retreat to plan the agenda of the subsequent sittings.
Mr Wetangula made the ruling after informing MPs that he had received three separate letters nominating individuals to take up the post of the Leader of Majority.
He said the ruling Kenya Kwanza Alliance, the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition and the Jubilee Party had separately forwarded names of individuals nominated to be the Leader of Majority, Deputy Leader of Majority, Majority Whip and Deputy Majority Whip.
Kenya Kwanza wrote a letter nominating Kimani Ichung’wah, Azimio sent the name of Opiyo Wandayi while Jubilee named Shurie Abdi as the Majority Leader.
No coalition has forwarded the names of Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader, Minority Whip and Deputy Minority Whip.
The membership of the HBC consists of the Speaker as the chairperson, the Leader of the Majority Party, the Leader of the Minority, the Whip of the Majority Party, the Whip of the Minority Party and nine other members.
