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{
    "id": 1215124,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1215124/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 199,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kikuyu, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kimani Ichung’wah",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Committee, and the Committee on Members’ Services and Facilities. The second agenda was placement of the two new Members, Hon. Chege and Hon. Major Dekow, in Committees. When the Leader of the Minority Party introduced the list of changes under Any Other Business (AOB), we had a spirited engagement of close to one hour on whether we should admit such substantive business as AOB. Eventually, we agreed by consensus that we should admit that business under AOB. Therefore, it is not true that the Majority side, in any way, stopped that business from being transacted. We discussed the list and even the Leader of the Minority Party and I read out the list of the Members being moved from one Committee to another. Members had varied opinions to an extent that one of the Members proposed that we take a vote. I am glad that Hon. John Kiarie is in the House because he is the one who moved a Motion that we take a vote. Where you do not agree on anything by consensus then a vote decides. Before we voted, the Whip of the Minority Party offered to withdraw the list of changes because he saw the sense in building consensus. Why were we seeking consensus? As I said, the Committees sit on behalf of the plenary. We could not sit the 349 of us and place Members in Committees. That would be like a market place and it cannot work. When a Committee sits and you are the Chair, you listen to Members. I know Hon. Junet has never chaired any Committee for the last 12 years that he has been in this House, but I have been the Chair of the most important Committee, the Budget and Appropriations Committee, where you have to give and take. I have told Hon. Junet and Hon. Opiyo Wandayi that I believe in consensus building. I believe in people engaging and arriving at a fair result. Therefore, whichever party you belong to, whether in Jubilee, Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party or Wiper Democratic Movement (WMD), I will want to treat every Member as a Member of Parliament. If I feel that Hon. (Dr) Nyikal’s rights are being infringed by Hon. Junet, I will stand up to be counted as one of those who protected Hon. (Dr) Nyikal’s right as a Member of any Committee. Last week, I implored upon the Minority side that, rather than make changes in a very sectarian and underhand manner by sneaking in a list in the last minute of the meeting through the Office of the Clerk, let us engage each other. Let us engage as we did when we were forming these committees. Let us have changes from the Majority Party because we desire to make them. The Members on the majority side will tell you some of them want to sit in other committees. There are Members who were appointed to committees and have never attended a single meeting."
}