Former Bungoma governor Wycliffe Wangamati has dared National Assembly (NA) Speaker Moses Wetangula to sue him for defamation, but be ready to stand in court where his integrity scorecard will be publicly tested by hardened legal minds.

Part of what Wangamati will require Wetangula to prove is whether he honoured his promise to his community that they would get 30 per cent of government appointments if he delivered 30 per cent of their votes to the Kenya Kwanza Coalition before the 2022 general elections.

“It is common knowledge that he (Wetangula) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2022 to get 30 per cent of government positions for his community. Ordinarily, this entails pushing certain people to be appointed to certain positions in government. Persons who eventually get the appointments serve at the behest of these politicians,” states Wangamati through his lawyer, Peter Manyonge Wanyama.

“This is the broader narrative on the “state capture”. In the impending defamation case, your client will clarify his role; let him explain who he ‘recommended’ to be appointed in government positions as part of the 30 per cent agreement.”

Wetangula had demanded a written apology from Wangamati after the former governor, who has been charged with Sh10 million graft, accused the Speaker of being behind the charges in utterances he made during a press briefing at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption (EACC) offices on Monday.

The former governor had also accused Wetangula of meddling with the county’s politics, where he wants to ensure his young brother (Westlands MP) Tim Wanyonyi is elected the governor in the August 2027 polls.

Wetangula had claimed that the utterances brought his reputation into disrepute, odium and contempt before right-thinking persons, both within and outside the territory of Kenya.

But Wangamati reminded Wetangula that the president of the Republic of Kenya has already confirmed to Kenyans that the NA that he leads is a free marketplace where money is paid to transact legislative business.

Wangamati also says that Wetangula has been making questionable contributions in funds drive and the Speaker should be ready to explain the source of such funds in court during the cross examination to prove his integrity.

“In summary, your client is at liberty to file the defamation suit, but he should be ready to attend court where his role as a politician and Speaker of NA will be reviewed, and his reputation intensely tested in a public hearing,” states lawyer Wanyama in response to Wetangula’s lawyer, Jacquiline Busina.