‘It is in my CV, even if for two days’ – MP Millie Odhiambo boasts on being first woman majority chief whip ahead of speaker’s ruling

Arnold Ngure 12th February, 2025 10:34 AM

Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo has boasted of becoming the first woman Majority chief whip in the National Assembly of Kenya albeit for two days ahead of speaker Moses Wetangula’s determination of the matter later today, Wednesday, February 12, 2025.

Speaking during a morning TV show on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, the MP who is serving a fourth term in the National Assembly indicated that while going by the numbers she may not be the majority chief whip, legally she is.

“Osoro was saying that I would be a majority whip in my dreams but in law, I already am. My CV, even if it is for two days, will read: ‘First woman majority chief whip.’ So, it is not in my dreams, it is in my C even if it is for two days,” Odhiambo noted.

Tensions flare in parliament

Tensions flared on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, when parliament reconvened after months of recess, with a full in-tray of business to conduct key among them a court ruling which nullified Kenya-Kwanza being declared a majority coalition in the 13^th parliament in 2022.

House minority whip Millie Odhiambo took matters into her own hands and occupied the sitting area designated for the majority whip Sylvanus Osoro while the leader of the minority party Junet Mohamed equally sat with Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah who is the leader of the majority party.

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula reading House proceedings on October 18, 2024. PHOTO/@NAssemblyKE/X

During the discussions, Odhiambo called on National Assembly speaker Moses Wetang’ula to relinquish his position due to a conflict of interest by being the party leader of Ford-Kenya and be replaced by Gladys Shollei who is the deputy speaker.

“Mr Speaker, I humbly request you to step down and mandate Gladys Boss Shollei in discharging functions as the speaker because of your conflict of interest. Mr Speaker I want to urge that as a parliament we need to obey court rulings and decisions, even if we don’t agree with them,” she stated.

Stalled house business

Odhiambo equally revealed that the High Court ruling had caused confusion in the house, noting that key house business could stall as a result.

“I do understand that it has put parliament in an awkward situation because with that it means we can’t move if that is not sorted out,” Odhiambo observed.

“You either declare us as a majority or if you do not want to declare Azimio as a majority then it means we cannot perform house business.”