What You Need to Know
Kitutu Chache South MP Antoney Kibagendi is pursuing contempt charges against National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, clerk Samuel Njoroge, and two MPs for allegedly defying a court order that reinstated him. Kibagendi claims their actions threaten the authority of the court and his constitutional rights, following his recent suspension despite a court ruling.
Africa-Press – Kenya. Kitutu Chache South MP Antoney Kibagendi wants National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, clerk Samuel Njoroge and two MPs cited for contempt over his second suspension.
Kibagendi accuses the two parliament leaders and MPs Peter Kaluma and Sarah Korere of defying a court order that reinstated him on March 19, 2026.
In a fresh court application, the MP says the four have acted in disobedience by causing the publication and approval of a motion to suspend, and proceeded to affect an unlawful suspension despite being informed of the subsisting Court orders.
“These actions constitute a direct affront to the authority of the court and threaten to render its orders nugatory. Unless urgently addressed, the petitioner/applicant will continue to suffer prejudice through unlawful exclusion from his constitutional mandate, thereby defeating the substratum of the petition,” Kibagendi’s lawyer Ombui Ratemo states.
In court documents filed on April 2, the ODM legislator who is accused of making disparaging remarks at a TV show that allegedly demeaned parliament, wants the four sanctioned by being found in contempt of court and thus subjected to civil jail.
He added, “That the actions are therefore a breach of the Court order and deliberately made to vex this Honourable Court. This Honourable Court is one of the Superior Courts in our Constitution, allowing continued disobedience of its orders would render it a soulless oxymoron, and in the absence of any steps, the Court will be unable to function properly as a court of justice. The said respondents have, in the event, lacked the mere courtesy to seek this Court’s greenlight,” Ombui states.
The lawyer added, “That the orders herein sought not only serve the cause of fairness in the cause before it but also ensure that the ultimate decision of the Court bears the intended constitutional authority, which authority would be negated on contempt, turning its works into a mere academic exercise.”
On March 31, Kibagendi was suspended yet again, despite a court order barring Parliament from taking such action, over comments he reportedly made in February during a television interview in which he questioned the independence of Parliament.
The House made the resolution despite a recent court decision that reinstated him after overturning an earlier suspension imposed by Speaker Moses Wetang’ula.
High Court Judge Bahati Mwamuye, on March 19, directed that Kibagendi be allowed to return to the House and continue performing his duties, pending the hearing and determination of a case he filed.
The judge stayed the Speaker’s decision of February 17, 2026, and dismissed a preliminary objection by lawyers representing the Speaker, who had argued that the court lacked jurisdiction to interfere with parliamentary procedures.
The ongoing conflict between MP Antoney Kibagendi and the National Assembly highlights the tensions between legislative authority and judicial rulings in Kenya. Kibagendi’s legal battles stem from a series of suspensions that have raised questions about the independence of Parliament and the enforcement of court orders. The situation reflects broader issues of governance and accountability within the Kenyan political landscape, where the balance of power between branches of government is often contested.
