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{
    "id": 1483823,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1483823/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 181,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Kingi",
    "speaker_title": "The Speaker",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "(a) Invitation by the County Public Accounts Committee; where the Governor had been invited severally but had declined to appear. Thus, summons dated 12th April, 2024 were issued by the Committee. (b) Invitation by the Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare; where the Governor had been invited severally but had declined to appear. Thus, a summons was issued. (c) Invitation by the Standing Committee on Finance and Budget, where the Governor had failed to respond to Committee’s requests for information and thus summons dated 31st July, 2024 were issued by the committee. The governor failed to appear in response to the summons and the Committee issued further summons dated 30th September, 2024. (d) Invitation by the County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee; where the Governor appeared and used demeaning language and insulted Members of that Committee. (e) The governor failed to appear before the Standing Committee on Health pursuant to summons dated 21st May, 2024. The governor obtained conservatory orders prohibiting the Director of Public Prosecutions from implementing the resolution of the Committee to have the governor prosecuted for breach of Section 271A of the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges. (f) Invitation by the Standing Committee on National Cohesion, Equal Opportunity and Regional Integration; where the governor has declined to appear before the Committee. (g) An Invitation by the Standing Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations, where the governor did not appear. Hon. Senators, it would be prudent to consider the issues raised by Sen. Dullo in the context of the law and judicial pronouncements that govern the issuance of summons by Parliament or its committees. Article 125 of the Constitution provides as follows: “(1) Either House of Parliament, and any of its committees, has power to summon any person to appear before it for the purpose of giving evidence or providing information. (2) For the purposes of Section (1), a House of Parliament and any of its committees has the same powers as that of the High Court – (a) to enforce the attendance of witnesses and examine them on oath, affirmation or otherwise; (b) to compel the production of documents; and, (c) to issue a commission or request to examine witnesses abroad.” To give further effect to the powers under Article 125 of the Constitution, Section 18(1) of the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Act, provides that: “Parliament or its committees may invite or summon any person to appear before it for the purpose of giving evidence or providing any information, paper, book, record or document in the possession or under the control of that person and, in this respect, Parliament and its committees shall have the same powers as the High Court as specified under Article 125 of the Constitution.” Further, Section 19 of the Act provides as follows: The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}