- Sabina led Jubilee has the support of 21 out of 28 MPs.
- Mwenje to takeover as deputy Minority Whip.
Image: PCS
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has declared Jubilee a parliamentary party and handed nominated MP Sabina Chege the powerful Whip position for the new entity.
Initially, Parliament only recognised Kenya Kwanza and Azimio la Umoja as the Majority and Minority in 13th Parliament.
In an afternoon communication, the Speaker also elevated the status of Jubilee splinter group in the August house.
“Currently exist no bar against the decision made by Majority to replace its Deputy Minority Whip, in this regard Hon Mark Mwenje forthwith replaces Sabina Chege,” Wetang’ula ruled.
“Jubilee is hereby recognised as a parliamentary party with the meaning of Standing Order 20A, this recognition does not in any way elevate it to or affects the status given to the majority and minority party by the Standing Orders and the Constitution.”
“Consequently, Sabina Chege by virtue of the written support of 21 out of 28 members of Jubilee members and on account of having been the last officially recognised member of the Jubilee party forming party of the leadership is allowed to perform in the interim the role of the Whip of that party in the House.”
Chege will now be replaced by Embakasi West MP Mark Mwenje who had been nominated by Azimio as her replacement.
The net effect of the ruling is that Sabina will now enjoy same status as Majority Whip Silvanus Osoro and Minority Whip Junet Mohamed.
According to National Assembly’s Standing Orders 20A, the Speaker shall recognise a party or coalition of parties consisting of not less than five per cent of the membership of the National Assembly as a parliamentary party.
Jubilee aligned to Sabina Chege currently has 21 MPs out of the 28 members elected on the ticket.
It is on this background that Nakuru West MP Samuel Arama petitioned the Speaker to confer the status to the former ruling party.
“We now find ourselves in a situation where a small faction of the members of the party seems to be aligned to the minority party while 21 out of the 28 members have expressed their unwillingness to be associated with the minority party,” Wetang’ula said.
National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah welcomed the ruling terming it a win-win solution for both the Sabina-led Jubilee and the faction allied to Azimio.
“I want to congratulate Sabina Chege in her ascension to the office of the Whip, Chege has now become elevated to a substantive Whip and ranks the same with Osoro and Junet,” Ichung’wah said.
The Kikuyu MP, however, warned the Embakasi MP against early celebration saying he might be the biggest loser should Sabina make good their threat to divorce Azimio.
Taking to her social media page, Sabina welcomed the ruling saying the elevation is a godsend.
“What an elevation from God. From Deputy Minority Whip of some coalition to Chief Whip of Jubilee Parliamentary Party. To God be the glory,” Sabina said.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Sabina-led Jubilee held a Parliamentary Group and asked her to stay put as Deputy Minority Whip in the National Assembly.
“The Azimio coalition has not followed any procedural process to make such changes,” the group said in a statement read by MP Arama.
He said the meeting held at Ngong Racecourse on May 22, 2023, at which Mwenje was endorsed, was declared null and void by the Internal Dispute Resolution Committee of the party and the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal.