Deputy President William Ruto and his troops suffered a blow in Parliament after the handshake team ganged up to bulldoze the controversial Political Parties (Amendments) Bill, 2021.
Ruto's lieutenants were easily outnumbered, bringing into sharp focus the DP's grip of the National Assembly as the Bill moves to the final stage.
Ruto's team has often said they have more numbers in the bicameral Parliament than both President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga.
During the vote, however, 115 MPs allied to Uhuru and Raila voted to support the debate on the Bill.
The Ruto side managed only 68 lawmakers, paving the way for the Bill to proceed to the third reading.
The proposed law, which is paving the way for the creation of a coalition party, was roundly opposed by Ruto’s men.
They termed it an attempt by the “deep state” to control the August 2022 elections by anchoring the Raila-led Azimio la Umoja in law.
The Tangatanga lawmakers are now threatening to take the war to court.
Minority leader John Mbadi said the defeat by Ruto’s camp settles the question on which side has controlling numbers in Parliament.
“We have been told about 150 members supporting a particular cause, you can see when we come to the floor of this House the members are hardly 20 and that is why they are making noise,” the Suba South MP said.
He announced that they will discuss as House leaders to call a special sitting to conclude the bill before the end of the year.
“My colleagues on the other side who have been boasting of numbers in the streets, today we want to see where are those numbers.”
“We will agree as leaders if we can call a sitting before the end of the year,” Mbadi said.
Minority Whip Junet Mohamed dared the Tangatanga brigade to stand in the way of the Bill if at all they have numbers as they claimed.
“If you have numbers don’t shout outside there, bring your numbers here on the floor of the House. We are going to win this hands down,” Junet said.
“This House will not decide this Bill on how loud you are. I want to urge my colleagues to debate this Bill with sobriety so that we have a Bill that is going to help this country.”
Earlier, the Tangatanga troops’ push to stop the debate on the Bill was defeated after Deputy Speaker Moses Cheboi ruled against them.
Led by Tharaka MP George Murugara, the lawmakers put up a spirited effort to block debate on the proposal on coalitions building in a morning of drama.
Murugara rising on a point of order asked Cheboi to halt debate questioning the constitutionality of the legislative piece.
The MP also claimed the Bill by National Assembly Majority leader Amos Kimunya was not taken through public participation as required by law.
“I have particularly a problem with Clause 2 which seeks to amend section two of the Political Parties Act, which introduces matters that are not constitutional,” Murugara said.
“What we are about to debate on is unconstitutional, proper public participation was not done.”
He was supported by Didmus Barasa (Kimilili), Alice Wahome (Kandara), Kubai Iringo (Igembe Central) and John Kiarie (Dagoretti South) - all Ruto allies.
DP Ruto has consistently boasted of having sufficient troops in both Houses, 146 MPs, a claim that was punctured for a second time yesterday.
In May this year, Ruto’s numbers were also demystified after MPs voted overwhelmingly to pass the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Bill in both Houses.
A total of 235 MPs voted in favour of the amendment against 83, while 52 senators voted in support, 12 of who rejected it.
The debate degenerated into a shouting match pitting pro-handshake and Tangatanga legislators, spilling into the lounge after the House adjourned.
In a presser, Ruto’s team claimed malice in the amendments to the parties’ law to benefit Raila’s 2022 bid.
Uasin Gishu Woman MP Gladys Shollei said, “all they wanted to do was to amend the law so that Azimio can be a political party.”
“They want to give OKA time to negotiate with Raila Odinga. If you listen to any of the ODM leaders, they were clear they wanted to anchor Azimio on the law,” she said.
Kilifi North MP Owen Baya said, “We have a good strategy, the first being our move to propose numerous amendments to this Bill and we have ensured we have pushed this for the next one week.”
Whereas Tangatanga adherents emerged celebrating the bills’ adjournment, their counterparts jeered at them with a reminder they were the ones in charge.
Despite carrying the day, the Azimio side decried how the presiding speaker adjourned the sittings.
Mbadi said, “We went to a vote and they did not succeed and demonstrated to the entire country as we have done before that they don’t have numbers.”
On the secrecy allegations, Suna East MP Junet Mohamed said there was nothing secretive about the bill.
“It is the President’s and Raila’s bill. This was a rehearsal. We will mobilise over 200 members the next time we have this vote. We had 115 and they had 68. This shows the purported numbers are for eating at Karen.”
“That they even fought physically shows our friends in Tangatanga have no agenda, plan and just shows they were sent by their boss to cause chaos,” the MP said.
Kitui Central MP Makali Mulu added, “By March next year, UDA will be reduced to a regional party. We want to push them that hard till they realise they have no numbers.”
Murang'a Woman Representative Sabina Chege said, “Kenyans have known who has numbers. Those who celebrated after losing should know that this is just the beginning. Come baby come. We will defeat you. We won’t agree to be returned to the era of single parties.”
Majority Whip Emmanuel Wangwe (Navakholo MP) said, “We have counted and proven that numbers don’t lie. I support the call that we return and gift Kenyans the bill becoming an Act.”
Kathiani MP Robert Mbui, “We have realised we have the power to enable small parties to benefit from building a coalition. We are going to win in the next vote and I am sure this will become law after the third reading.”
Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni said, “If it is the question of numbers you can count on Azimio, if it comes to heckling then Tangatanga has it.”
“Those of us in Jubilee should see how betrayed we are by our own colleagues. They have become a destructive corner for the last four years and today was proof.”
Edited by A.N
