National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula is on the spot for allegedly engaging in political activities which observers interpret as a breach of the principles of impartiality and independence expected of an arbiter occupying his office.
The Speaker is in the crosshairs of his critics who are accusing him for compromising the independence of Parliament by behaving as an appendage of the Executive, under President William Ruto.
The Speaker, who is accompanying the President on his Western region political tour, made some controversial statements and even assured Ruto that the region is fully behind his administration. He reiterated that the region is Dr Ruto’s last line of defense and the frontier of defense against political acrimony from his rivals.
Projecting himself as Ruto’s pointman in the region, Wetangula on Wednesday said he is the patron of Western region MPs’ Caucus, saying they are all behind Ruto’s administration and that they always vote alongside one pattern in Parliament.
Wetangula, who legal experts opine is supposed to to be impartial, went ahead to attack Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka after the opposition leader questioned whether the money the President distributed to the sugarcane farmers as bonus had been allocated by the National Treasury and approved by Parliament for the exercise.
“Kalonzo’s outbursts on the issuance of cane bonus to our struggling farmers is misplaced and he should keep off the matter because he is not privy to the untold suffering cane growers have been encountering,” he said.
This is not the first time Wetangula has found himself on the spot for expressing his political opinion publicly.
On September 29 last year, he supported former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s impeachment motion before it was tabled in Parliament, in what analysts described as offending the standing orders in anticipation of debate.
Former Speaker Kenneth Marende yesterday said that although there is no legal provision that expressly denies the speaker the right to express his opinion, he is duty-bound to conduct himself as a leader of an arm of government that is independent of each other.
According to constitutional lawyer Bobby Mkangi, the speaker must be nonpartisan, impartial and fair, devoid of pronouncements that undermine his office.
“The speaker’s pronouncements should portray impartiality because he leads a House with pro-government and anti-government MPs. His public display of bias offends the Constitution,” Mkangi said in a phone interview.
He noted that Article 75(1) of the Constitution of Kenya states that State Officers must behave in a way that avoids conflict of interest, compromising public interests and demeaning their office, which applies to all aspects of their lives, including public and official life, private life, and when interacting with others.
Political analyst Kamau Wairuri said Wetangula’s remarks were unfortunate as it further eroded the trust between Kenyans and Parliament.
“Parliament has been behaving as an extension of the Executive, laundering the President’s appointment. But Wetangula’s courage to present himself as the youth winger has only worsened the situation,” Dr Wairuri said.
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He drew the comparison between Wetangula and other speakers saying although the two Houses approved the past regime’s business, the Speakers tried to be seen as impartial.
“Former National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi and former Senate Speakers Ekwe Ethuro and Ken Lusaka tried to hold their offices with dignity, although they were appointed by their political parties. We urge Wetangula to borrow a leaf from his predecessors,” Wairuri said.
