Africa-Press – Kenya. National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has issued a telling critique of the political and legal obstacles he says are a hindrance to Kenya’s development.
He blamed “one reckless tweet” and a culture of easy court injunctions for derailing critical national projects.
Speaking at the 8th KEPSA-Speaker’s Roundtable in Mombasa, Wetang’ula began by honouring the late Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga, whom he described as the “genesis of these roundtable meetings,” and called for a minute of silence.
He expressed confidence in the country’s potential, stating, “I have visited each of the 54 African countries and none is better than Kenya.”
He bolstered the claim by citing a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report naming Kenya’s human resource as the “strongest and most developed in the entire continent,”.
He said this was illustrated by the story of a 38-year-old from Meru who is now the CEO of TikTok in Europe. However, the speaker quickly noted the challenges stifling the potential to make Kenya a first world country.
He questioned how Kenya could industrialise and compete globally when faced with internal resistance, pointing to the country’s lower electricity generation compared to Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam.
Wetang’ula highlighted specific instances where projects were blocked, noting that when the government planned a nuclear power plant, “an MP threatened to commit suicide.”
He also referenced the opposition to the UNEP headquarters, the KICC, JKIA and the recent rejection of a plan by Adani Holdings, asserting, “I have not seen any wrongdoing in the plan that we shelved.”
“The option is to go to the private sector,” Wetang’ula stated, criticising the lengthy processes and piles of documents that characterise engagements with international financial institutions.
He contrasted this with China’s rapid development, attributing it to a more direct approach to building infrastructure.
A significant portion of the speaker’s address targeted the Judiciary.
Wetang’ula announced a plan to convene a new roundtable involving Kepsa, Parliament and the Judiciary to ensure they “appreciate that injunctions are not a cake to be dished to anyone holding a plate.”
He lamented that the painstaking work to “solidify rule-based international trade” over 20 years could be undone by “one reckless tweet,” adding that it was regrettable the courts were complicit in the stagnation.
The speaker criticised the practice of litigants citing “nonexistent sections of the law” and judges issuing injunctions only to “keep the file for six months,” suggesting that some litigants are “surrogates… working for competitors”.
Calling for patriotism and courage, Wetang’ula, who described himself as “the most sued” official (with 79 cases) vowed that Parliament would continue to “do what is right,” even in the face of criticism and actions meant for the “public gallery.”
He urged all parties to challenge laws with facts and to make court injunctions a last resort, framing it as a necessary step to move the country forward
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