National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula was forced to clarify the issue of parliamentary attire after a showdown between Members of Parliament on Thursday, June 19.
It all started when Mbita MP Millie Odhiambo called out her Githunguri counterpart, Gathoni Wamuchomba, for wearing yellow during parliamentary proceedings.
In what was a dig at Wamuchomba, who is a known ally of Rigathi Gachagua, the Mbita MP jibed that the yellow attire was inappropriate, as it hinted at political affiliations.
“Mr Speaker I just wanted to get clarity on whether Wamuchomba is properly dressed because she is wearing party colours. Everything she is wearing is yellow,” the Mbita MP said, leaving other MPs in stitches.
As tensions in the House rose, Wetangula was forced to intervene, clarifying that it was well within Wamuchomba’s right to come dressed in any colours, regardless of whether they are affiliated with a political party.
“In my communication about dress code, the Speaker never prohibited any colours,” Wetangula clarified.
He added, “What we will discourage are party symbols in the House. The Speaker is colour-blind in terms of the colour of clothing you wear. So Honourable Wamuchomba is properly dressed.”
In her response, Wamuchomba fired back, accusing Odhiambo and other lawmakers allied to the Kenya Kwanza government of a witch hunt against her because she intended to oppose the Finance Bill.
At this point, Wetangula was forced to call the House to order, clarifying that the National Assembly had already discussed the Finance Bill for passing.
“If you came for the Finance Bill, 2025, that is way behind us and in the annals of the history of Parliament.’’
As far as the Finance bill is concerned, lawmakers agreed to pass the Bill after considering key reports from the Finance and Planning Committee, led by Molo MP Kuria Kimani.
Despite passing the bill, MPs dropped a contentious proposal seeking to give the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) powers to access taxpayers' personal and financial data.
