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{
    "id": 1010749,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1010749/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 246,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Homa Bay Town, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Peter Kaluma",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1565,
        "legal_name": "George Peter Opondo Kaluma",
        "slug": "george-peter-opondo-kaluma"
    },
    "content": " Hon. Speaker, you have taken words from my mouth. The fact of the matter is that Standing Orders expected, especially the departmental committees, to facilitate Members. The understanding the departmental committees ought to have beyond the limitations of the provisions of the Standing Orders is that when you have a legislative proposal... The Parliamentary Legal Directorate has assisted us to a substantial extent in originating them. I am one Member who has up to seven legislative proposals stuck in departmental committees for over two years now. I started pursuing these legislative proposals in the last Parliament. In some cases, if you go before these Committees, beyond just looking at whether your proposal contravenes public policy or some law, they start debating with you on its merits and consult the relevant ministries to give views. I had one legislative proposal before the Departmental Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations where I got a long letter from the Cabinet Secretary saying it is dangerous for the court martial. I thought he would not allow me to have my day before the House to persuade it on these legal issues because they may be legal to me. You are largely in defence of people here and there is nobody who understands the court martial and how it should be structured. So, as you give your ruling, the lapse I personally see in the Standing Orders is that we did not prescribe the time within which Committees should transact that matter of legislative proposals or Bills before them. A Committee can sit on a Bill for eternity. I was reminded today by Hon. Millie Odhiambo that, even in the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee that I sit in, there is a Bill concerning children which has been pending for over one year that I am not aware of. When the Procedure and House Rules Committee sits, I believe this will be one thing you will be recommending. Where we are requiring these Committees to intervene, let us time them so that the legitimate expectation of Members can be met. I am saying this because I fear the experience of the last Parliament. The Leader of the Majority Party, if we will not be able to transact Private Members’ Bills by June next year, those Bills will die. Hon. Speaker, some Members come to this Parliament because they want to pursue some policy or legislative agenda then they are done with their business in Parliament. It is The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}