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{
    "id": 1021549,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1021549/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 125,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Suba South, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. John Mbadi",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 110,
        "legal_name": "John Mbadi Ng'ong'o",
        "slug": "john-mbadi"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. In addition to what the Leader of the Majority Party has said, our Standing Orders provide that we should be sitting every Tuesday afternoon from 2.30 p.m., Wednesdays from 10.00 a.m. and 2.30 p.m. and Thursdays from 2.30 p.m. But with the Covid-19 pandemic, we moved to a situation where we were sitting only on Wednesdays, both morning and afternoon. What the HBC has agreed on is that in the next five weeks, from now to 15th October, we will have three sittings in a week: Tuesday at 2.30 p.m. and Thursday morning and afternoon. That is one additional sitting per week, as the Leader of the Majority Party has said. We also realised that we were not being very fair to private Members business. Always, Wednesday mornings were meant for private Members’ Bills. With this change, Thursday mornings will be reserved for private Members’ Bills. And they are very many. I sit on the Budget and Appropriations Committee. If you look at only the money Bills coming from individual Members of Parliament, it is so impressive. And we need to encourage Members. We may also need to look for ways of expediting the Bills because Thursday mornings are not sufficient to deal with all the Bills that have been proposed by individual Members. I want to ask the House to agree with us on this Motion. Of course, after 15th October, we will re-evaluate, taking into account the advice from the Ministry of Health and the flattening of the curve. Chances are that we may get back to normal, God willing. It requires our total commitment as a nation to be able to realise that. I thank you, Hon. Speaker. I second."
}