NAIROBI, Kenya – Kathiani Member of Parliament Robert Mbui has accused National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula of deliberately silencing dissenting voices on the floor of the House, claiming that opposition lawmakers are systematically denied a chance to speak.
In an interview with NTV, Mbui alleged that Speaker Wetang’ula selectively grants speaking opportunities to pro-government MPs while ignoring those critical of the Kenya Kwanza administration.
“He is very particular about who will get an opportunity to speak,” said Mbui. “Many times, when members aligned to me—because we are on the same side—put in requests to speak, they hardly get the chance.”
‘Speaker Picks Who Speaks’
According to Mbui, the process of securing speaking time is conducted through an electronic card system, where MPs slot in their cards to indicate interest in contributing to debates.
However, only the Speaker can see the list of interested members on his private screen, giving him full discretion on who gets the microphone.
“You put your card and indicate that you want to speak, but it’s only the Speaker who can see that on his screen,” Mbui explained. “The Speaker then decides who speaks. That system is being used discriminatively.”
He added that the current setup has created an uneven playing field in Parliament, where alternative voices are shut out, weakening the opposition’s ability to hold the government accountable.
“The alternative voice is muzzled in Parliament because the leadership knows if we give so and so an opportunity, he is likely to say something that we don’t want to hear,” Mbui said.
Call for Fairness in House Proceedings
Mbui urged the Parliamentary leadership to adopt a more balanced approach in allocating speaking slots, warning that continued bias would erode public confidence in the institution and further marginalise the opposition.
“If the Speaker decides to lean on one side and ignore members leaning to the other side, it becomes very difficult. It even weakens the opposition more,” he said.
