Hon Moses Masika Wetangula currently is the 8th Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya since independence. He was elected as a speaker on Thursday 8th September 2022 in a race pitting him against the former Speaker of the National Assembly Hon. Kenneth Marende. Hon. Wetang’ula emerged as the winner having garnered 215 votes against the Hon. Marende had 130 votes in the first round.
While this did not meet the required minimum of two-thirds of votes for declaration as the winner in the first round, the clerk of the National Assembly Mrs. Serah Kioko declared Wetangula as the winner after Marende withdrew his candidature.
Hon. Wetang’ula’s engagement in public service spans forty years. He began his service in the Judiciary as Magistrate in 1982 and served in various stations across the country including Kithimani, Machakos, Kisii, and Rongo.
He later began his political career in 1993 when he was nominated to the 7th Parliament (1993-1997). He served for five cumulative terms between 1993 and 2012 as a Member of the National Assembly representing Sirisia Constituency, and as Senator for Bungoma (2013 to 2022). During his first term as a nominated Member of Parliament, he served as a member of the Speaker’s Panel (Temporary Deputy Speaker), the House Business Committee as well as the Committee on Defence & Foreign Relations.
Hon. Wetang’ula served as the Minority Leader in his first term in the Senate (2013-2017) and part of his second. He also served as a member of the Senate Business Committee, the Senate Standing Committee on Defence & Foreign Relations, and the Committee on Finance & Budget.
Wetang’ula also held the following cabinet portfolios: Minister for Trade, and also served as the Chairperson of the African Union Peace & Security Council (2011 - 2013); Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs (2004-2007) and Minister for For Foreign Affairs (2007 - 2011).
As Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Wetang’ula seeks to continue building and strengthening parliamentary diplomacy and the relationship that the Parliament of Kenya has had with key players including the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA); the Pan-African Parliament (PAP); the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU); the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA); and the Organisation of African, Caribbean Speaker and Pacific State (OACPS).
Wetang’ula is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya and an active member of the Law Society of Kenya. He is an astute debater with an exceptional grasp of Parliamentary practices and procedures.
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