Meru senator, Murungi Kathuri, has been elected as the deputy speaker of the Senate following the decision by Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo to drop out of the race.
Senate's newly elected speaker, Amason Kingi, announced Kathuri as his deputy while delivering his speech on Thursday, September 8.
Madzayo who stepped out of the race was elected under an ODM, an affiliate party of the Azimio La Umoja coalition.
Kingi explained that there was no need to conduct a voting exercise as the standing orders conferred powers to him to announce the deputy speaker if there was only one candidate.
"Standing order 11 provides that if there is only one candidate who had been duly nominated as deputy speaker, that candidate shall be elected forthwith without any being election being conducted be declared as the deputy speaker," Kingi announced.
Kathuri was elected as Meru senator in the concluded August 9 polls and his candidature had been backed by parties allied to the Kenya Kwanza faction.
Immediately after his declaration, he took an oath of office which was administered by the clerk of the Senate in the presence of Kingi.
Previously, the Senator served as the South Imenti Member of Parliament having vied in the 2017 General Election as an independent candidate.
In the just concluded polls, he vied for the Senate seat on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket.
Prior to the election of Kathuri, over 40 senators took to the ballot to choose the speaker of the fourth senate with Kenya Kwanza-fronted candidate Amason Kingi winning the contest.
Kingi was elected by 46 senators out of the house made of 67 county representatives.
Notably, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka dropped out of the race leading to a walkout by some senators elected under the Azimio la Umoja coalition.
