Leadership changes: Wrangles rock Garissa assembly as speaker makes ruling

Chaos erupted at the Garissa County Assembly after Speaker Abdi Idle confirmed the new leadership.

Drama started after the speaker ruled UDM party was no longer a member of the Azimio Coalition and was instead a member of the Kenya Kwanza Coalition.

The speaker had to be rescued by the Sergeant at Arms and police officers manning the Assembly as he was whisked away.

His ruling was a result of the crisis witnessed in the majority party leadership positions.

In his previous ruling on September 5, the speaker communicated that the Majority party had settled on Mohamed Farah (Wiper) as the new Majority leader replacing Abubakar Khalif (ODM).

Ahmed Abdirahman was elected to the position of Majority Whip replacing Abdi Ibrahim while Mahat Abdikadir was the new County Assembly Service Board member replacing Omar Abdi.

Other changes that were made included Sankuri MCA Abdirahman Borr being replaced by Abdirahman Muktar as the Deputy Majority leader.

Drama ensured when the ousted team tried to stop the speaker from delivering his communication.

They claimed he was not respecting the court order and the letter from the Political Parties Tribunal.

Their efforts were however thwarted as the House orderlies shielded the mace as he delivered the ruling.

In their argument, the ousted members led by the ousted Majority leader and Borr said that they had a letter from the party which insinuated that UDM was still under the Azimio One Kenya coalition.

“The speaker should confirm from the Registrar of Political Parties whether UDM is in Azimio or Kenya Kwanza,” Borr said.

“Let the speaker understand that Kenya is governed by a rule of law and that he should respect and abide by the court order delivered to him to stay all the decisions that he made on the 5th of this month. The order reinstating the Majority leader, Majority whip, Deputy Majority leader and the board representative stands and is effective.”

On his part, Khalif hinted at moving back to the court to file a case against the speaker over contempt of court saying that he remained to be the substantive Majority leader.

However, in his defence, the Speaker said that in the said communication he had received letters from the majority coalition submitting names of their newly elected leadership.

On the issue of where UDM belonged, the speaker ruled:

“In my considered opinion, it would be imprudent to treat the 14 members elected to the house under UDM, Pamoja African Alliance, Maendeleo Chap Chap and the Movement for Democracy and Growth as part of a coalition that they have expressly distanced both themselves and their parties from," he said.

"I am therefore persuaded that the 14 members and their parties are part of the Kenya Kwanza Coalition. This, in my view, would be fair and in accord with previous rulings of my predecessors on related matters."

The speaker said he has received four letters from the leadership of four different political parties that are constituent members of the Azimio coalition.

He said they are ODM, United Party of Independent Alliance, Wiper Democratic Movement and Kenya Africa National Union.

Whereas ODM has raised reservations and objected to the changes made to the leadership of the Majority party, the latter three wrote to welcome and support the changes.

The new Majority leader while welcoming the ruling of the speaker said that he was up to the task thanking his colleagues for bestowing their trust in him.

On accusations that the speaker was biased, the new Majority leader said the speaker had taken tradition from the National Assembly on the same matter which had ruled that UDM was in Kenya Kwanza.

"It is time to immediately move on and do what is expected of us. Top on my agenda is to unite a deeply divided house because as we all know there is strength in unity. without it we won't go far," he said.