A significant division has arisen within the National Assembly as the vetting of President William Ruto’s nominees for Cabinet Secretary positions approaches this week.
The division centers around a directive from Kalonzo Musyoka, co-Principal of the Azimio la Umoja coalition, instructing Wiper party MPs to reject the nomination of four politicians affiliated with the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) during the vetting process.
Additionally, some ODM MPs, primarily from the former Western Province, have threatened to oppose the four nominees from their party, claiming that their nominations lack the party’s endorsement and the approval of Opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Over the weekend, Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka directed his party members to disapprove the appointment of ODM members nominated for Cabinet Secretary roles.
The Wiper Party has two representatives on the committee, Robert Mbui and Stephen Mule. Kalonzo urged his party members not to support the appointments of the four nominees when they appear in Parliament for vetting later this week.
The four ODM nominees are Nominated MP John Mbadi, former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, former Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho, and Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi.
“Those four names (Mbadi, Oparanya, Joho and Wandayi), when they come to parliament for vetting, Wiper members should vote ‘No’,” Kalonzo told Wiper legislators at Kyuso Full Gospel Church in Mwingi North constituency, Kitui county over the weekend. Kalonzo questioned how the four Cabinet nominees would work in a government that they strongly opposed on grounds of oppressing Kenyans.
The Wiper leader questioned the sincerity of the ODM leadership in making the appointments without informing him despite the fact that one of the nominees, Wandayi, is the coalition’s minority whip in the National Assembly. “I was never consulted on this matter.
They even appointed the majority leader in the National Assembly without having the courtesy of informing me that the leadership in parliament will be affected,” Kalonzo said.
