Wetang'ula's unmaking and the system that consumes its own

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Moses Wetangula. [Antony Gitonga, Standard]

The Speaker of the National Assembly is never an ordinary mortal anywhere in a democracy. He is not a regular politician. He is the emblem of legality, presiding as he does over the making of laws in the land. He borders on the regal and the monarchical, both in style and substance.

Beyond that, he symbolises stability. Parliament, where he oversees everything, is the cradle of order in the nation. National stability begins with the order established in the Assembly. He is, therefore, the ceremonial custodian of the rule of law in the country. For without parliamentary legislation, oversight and representation, chaos would prevail. In short, this State officer is a powerful third pillar in the nation’s sovereignty and authority, together with the President and the Chief Justice.