#7

Rt Hon Moses Wetangula, EGH

CHAIR – PARLIAMENTARY SERVICE COMMISSION

On 8th September 2022, Rt Hon Moses Francis Masika Wetangula assumed office as the 8th Speaker of the National Assembly on the first day of the seating of the 13th Parliament. Automatically, he also took over the position of Chair of the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC), one of the independent commissions established under Article 127 of the Constitution of Kenya.

The PSC is responsible for a variety of duties, including providing services and facilities to ensure the efficient and effective functioning of the Houses of Parliament, that is, the Senate and National Assembly of Kenya; constituting offices in the parliamentary service, and appointing and supervising office holders; preparing annual estimates of expenditure of the parliamentary service and submitting them to the National Assembly for approval, and exercising budgetary control over the service; and undertaking, singly or jointly with other relevant organisations, programmes to promote the ideals of parliamentary democracy.

In his position as Chair of PSC, Rt Hon Wetangula seeks to continue building and strengthening Parliamentary diplomacy, and the long and rich relationship the parliament of Kenya has had with key players, including the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA); the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU); the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).

Besides chairing the PSC, Rt Hon Wetangula is also a Member of the Committee on Finance and Judicial Operations Budget (JOB).

Moses has played in the public and political realm for over 40 years. In 1982 and 1983 respectively, he was Chief Magistrate and District Magistrate of the now Judicial Service Commission (JSC). Notably, the Rt Hon joined the Judiciary on the same day as his immediate predecessor, Rt Hon Justin Muturi, EGH, currently the Attorney General (AG) of Kenya.  

In 1992, he was nominated as a Kenya African National Union (KANU) MP after the 1992 general election, serving until 1997. Rt Hon Wetangula was then elected to the National Assembly in the December 2002 parliamentary election, the first of his many elections.

HE President Mwai Kibaki appointed Moses into the cabinet on 8th January 2008, naming him Cabinet Secretary (CS) (previously Minister) for Foreign Affairs until 2012, when he was appointed CS for Trade for a year.

Rt Hon Wetangula was then elected to the Senate of Kenya in 2013, becoming the first Bungoma County Senator until 2022, as well as Leader of Minority in the Senate until 2017. The Rt Hon is reputed as an astute debater with an exceptional grasp of parliamentary practices and procedures.

In the run-up to the August 2022 General Election, Moses and his party FORD Kenya joined forces with other parties to form the Kenya Kwanza Alliance, where he became a Co-Principal. He retained his Bungoma senate seat in the election, winning by a landslide. However, he resigned shortly after from that position, in order to vie for the position of the Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya.

Rt Hon Wetangula attended Nalondo R.C School in Bungoma County for his primary education. He then joined Friends School, Kamusinga for his A-levels. Moses holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of Nairobi (UoN).

He is the founder of Wetangula & Company Advocates, a legal services firm.

In March 2023, Moses was conferred with an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (Honoris Causa) by the Kibabii University, during the institution’s seventh graduation ceremony.

In his acceptance speech, Rt Hon Wetangula said that he was humbled by the gesture and thanked the management of the Kibabii University for the incredible honour. “This honour is not just a reflection of my personal achievements, but it is also a holding true to the hard work and dedication of many individuals who have supported and inspired me through my journey this far,” the Rt Hon stated.

He reaffirmed that he will always be reminded of the immense responsibility that comes with the privilege, saying, “I pledge to uphold the values of this institution and to use my knowledge and skills to make a positive impact in the world.”