Kalonzo Suffers Setback as Wetang’ula Rejects Attempt to Oust Junet Mohammed

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has dismissed Azimio la Umoja’s attempt to remove Junet Mohammed as the Minority Leader, dealing a fresh political blow to Kalonzo Musyoka and the coalition’s leadership plans.

While delivering his communication in the House on Tuesday, March 31, Wetang’ula said the letter that was allegedly sent by Azimio to formalise the changes raised serious questions about its credibility and legal standing.

The Speaker explained that the document, which was said to have come from Kalonzo’s office, contained several obvious grammatical and typographical mistakes.

One of the most striking errors, he noted, was the repeated naming of the sender as “Kalonzo Kalonzo Musyoka,” a mistake he said immediately cast doubt on whether the letter truly originated from an office of such high stature.

Wetang’ula further told MPs that the letter did not include a forwarding address or any official contact details that Parliament could use for follow-up communication or clarification.

According to him, this omission made the document appear even less authentic and weakened the credibility of the request.

Because of these issues, the Speaker said he had strong reasons to doubt that the letter genuinely came from the office of the former Vice President.

He maintained that Parliament could not act on a document whose origin and legitimacy remained questionable.

Another major issue raised by Wetang’ula was the position that the letter sought to create for Suba South MP Caroli Omondi.

The document reportedly named Omondi as the leader of the Coalition Party Parliamentary Group, but the Speaker clarified that such an office is not recognised anywhere in the Constitution, statute law, or the National Assembly Standing Orders.

He stressed that Parliament cannot implement changes based on positions that have no legal or procedural backing.

In his view, appointing an MP to an office that does not exist in law automatically rendered the request invalid and incapable of taking effect.

The ruling now means that Junet remains the duly recognised Minority Leader in the National Assembly despite the earlier political shake-up announced by Azimio.

This preserves his influence in the House at a time when the opposition coalition is facing internal restructuring and growing divisions.

The controversy began after Azimio announced sweeping leadership changes on March 9, where the coalition said it had removed Junet from the parliamentary role and replaced him with Caroli Omondi as part of a broader reorganisation.

In the same statement, the coalition also removed several prominent figures from the Azimio Coalition Council and the National Coalition Executive Council.

Those affected included Cabinet Secretaries Wycliffe Oparanya and Opiyo Wandayi, as well as lawmakers such as Adan Keynan, David Pkosing, Mishi Mboko, Abdul Haji, Isabella Wangechi Githinji, Caroline Wanjiru Karugu, and Solomon Kuria.

Azimio had argued that the affected leaders had automatically lost their places in the coalition organs after accepting public appointments or aligning themselves with rival political formations. The move was presented as part of an effort to reorganise and strengthen the coalition ahead of future political battles.

However, Wetang’ula’s latest ruling has now halted the attempted parliamentary changes, at least for now, and ensured that the status quo remains in place inside the National Assembly.

With the Speaker having firmly rejected the request, political attention now shifts to Kalonzo and the wider Azimio leadership, who are expected to respond to the ruling and possibly outline their next course of action.

The decision is likely to deepen ongoing tensions within the opposition coalition and could shape future leadership battles both inside Parliament and within Azimio itself.

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