Prepare for messy divorce and casualties, Wetangula tells ODM

Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula has termed his removal as Senate Minority Leader as a mischievous plot hatched by the National Super Alliance affiliate Party, ODM.

While making his speech in the Senate on Thursday afternoon, a visibly angry Wetangula accused ODM Senators of holding secret meetings to orchestrate his ouster.

A call to eject the leader as the Senate Minority Leader was presented to Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka by ODM Senators on Thursday, March 15.

Twenty out of NASA’s 27 Senators signed in favour of Mr. Wetangula’s ouster, surpassing the required two thirds majority by two.

Mr. Lusaka okayed Mr. Wetangula’s removal though he suspended the move until NASA submits the name of their new Minority Leader.

Mr. Wetangula said he felt betrayed by his NASA counterparts, but played up the consequences of the ODM Senators action.

“I want to say this, Mr. Speaker: If anybody wants a divorce, it would be messy, it would be noisy, it would be unhelpful, it would not be easy, it would have casualties,” he said.

“I want to tell my colleagues in ODM for avoidance of any confusion that for the last two presidential elections, we have supported a candidate fronted by ODM; and that is the reason they have a bigger number in both Houses than their partner parties.”

The Bungoma Senator said Wiper would enjoy a majority in Parliament if Kalonzo Musyoka was the presidential candidate.

“So, I want to tell my colleagues, let them try to go to NASA, bring the four constituent parties together and let’s see if they will extract a resolution to bring to this House, because NASA has ODM, Wiper, ANC and Ford-Kenya. The leaders of these parties: Raila Amolo Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka, Wycliffe Mudavadi and Moses Wetangula are an integral part of all the organs of these parties and whenever we hold even PGs, the parties’ leadership attend,” he added.

Below is Mr Wetangula’s address to his fellow Senators:

“This House only has NASA coalition, Jubilee, KANU, CCM and one independent member. Those are the entities in this House.

“The communication that elected Yours Truly and Mutula Kilonzo Jr – the Senator for Makueni, and Petronila Were – the nominated Senator James Orengo of ODM, came from the Parliamentary Group (PG) of Nasa. And a PG of Nasa is not a PG of ODM, and a PG of ODM is not a PG of Nasa.

“Mr Speaker, Nasa is a coalition; nobody was invited to join Nasa, we formed Nasa. I want to tell my colleagues because Mr Speaker, I have had this communication from the Chair after being informed an hour before the start of the House that a mischief has been going on behind my back.

“I know that since we started this House, a conspiratorial process has been going on with nocturnal meetings taking place (to overturn my election as Minority Leader). The very least my colleagues can do, Mr Speaker, is to have even called me to a meeting and told me: ‘As our leader, the following are issues that we have against you, and we would want you to change’; not to go and sit in the comfort of a 5-star hotel without members of ANC, Wiper and Ford-Kenya and then purport to bring minutes to this House Mr Speaker.

“I want to urge you, Mr Speaker, that even that majority of 16 is not a majority in law because it is not a majority of the coalition; it is a majority of a section of the coalition that has sat without a proper colour of right in law, because ODM is not a member of this House.

“Members of ODM access this House and have a colour of legitimacy by virtue of being members of Nasa. I want to end by telling my colleagues that I am going nowhere; that I am here; and I will be here, because I was not invited to join Nasa, I am in Nasa as a founder; and I founded CORD that transitioned to Nasa.

“If anybody wants to play games, Mr Speaker, then anybody can play games; and many of us are good at playing games. I represent people; nobody can belittle me in this House. Nobody has a right to play games behind my back; let them be frontal and we will fight Omundu Khumundu; it is as simple as that Mr Speaker.”

Narok County Senator Ledama Olekina told off Mr Wetangula, saying Senators affiliated to Nasa were elected on individual parties and not the coalition. Mr Olekina further stated ODM, which has a superior Senators’ count compared to its sister parties, has every right to take up the post of Minority Leader.

Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’ said ODM’s decision to purge Mr Wetangula as Minority Leader was hinged on a need for a “better leader” in the Senate.

“We have removed Wetangula as the Minority Leader; not because he has not led us well, but because we think there are people who can lead us better,” said Mr Kajwang.

Senate Majority Leader offered Mr Wetangula a political lifeline, saying he (Wetangula) is free to join the ruling coalition, Jubilee, should he feel unwanted by Nasa.

“He (Wetangula) is welcomed to Jubilee if Nasa people are tired of him. He is welcomed as early as next Tuesday, and we are willing to create a position for him. As much as I sympathise with your (Wetangula’s) situation, there is no need of forcing yourself on people who do not love you.” Mr Murkomen said.

Mr Wetangula’s woes come barely a week after Nasa leader Raila Odinga called a truce with President Uhuru Kenyatta, but a section of the Nasa summit, including Mr Wetangula, Mr Musyoka and Mr Mudavadi, felt side-stepped in a very important process.

Mr Wetangula has been on record telling Mr Odinga that he will seek a valid explanation why he (Mr Odinga) decided to meet President Kenyatta alone – without consulting Nasa’s strategic apex.