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"id": 176243,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Musila",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Ministry, Ministry of State for Defence",
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"legal_name": "David Musila",
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"content": " Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. First, I want to pay tribute to you personally for having ensured that finally the new Standing Orders come to the House for approval. This is because we have worked on this document for a long time and I was looking forward to a day when the new Standing Orders would be brought to the House for approval. Let me also thank my successor, the Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Standing Orders for the role he and his committee has played. Indeed, I was happy to be invited by the Sub- Committee to share with them our experiences. I am glad to say that the work we are seeing today is as a result of full consultation between the present Sub-Committee and the previous one of the Ninth Parliament. This is a good example of how we should provide continuity. Having said that, Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like to highlight a few areas that are contained in the new Standing Orders that I think are very important. First, it is proposed that we increase the number of sitting hours of the House. Previously, we had thought of adding a Thursday morning session in addition to what we do. It is, however, a good idea that we increase the number of sitting hours. I would like to take this opportunity to also inform members of the Press that hon. Members do not only work when they are in the Chamber. They continue to make this erroneous assertion every now and then in the various articles that they write that Members of Parliament are paid for very few hours that they work in the plenary. Members of Parliament work in the Committees, the plenary, their offices and in their constituencies. You will recall that during the last Parliament when we were going on recess, I challenged members of the Press to accompany any Member of Parliament to the constituency and see the work that we do. I, for one, did not see any member of the Press accompanying me. So, they did not take up that challenge. I still want to lay that challenge to members of the Press to accompany Members of Parliament when they are not in the Chamber. They will realise that we do more work out there than even when we are in the Chamber. Mr. Speaker, Sir, one very important addition to our new Standing Orders, as the Vice- President and Minister for Home Affairs has alluded to, is the provision allowing the Prime Minister time to answer Questions. This will go a long way in making the proceedings of this House more vibrant. In addition to that, there is need for the Leader of Government Business, as the Chairperson of the House Business Committee (HBC), to take an opportunity every Thursday afternoon to inform hon. Members what business they should expect the following week. It is important that this be followed with some clarifications. Hon. Members have complained many times that their business never sees its way in the Order Paper. This may be the opportunity for hon. Members to complain or ask the Leader of Government Business questions as to the contents of the Order Paper of the following week. It is very appropriate that we allow the Leader of Government Business to give further explanations. In this connection, in the Committee Stage, I will be moving more amendments with regard to this matter. With regard to the issue of ladies' handbags, it has been proposed that lady hon. Members will no longer leave their handbags at the entrance of the Chamber. However, I want to underline one important thing that goes in this House. The issue of security checks has not been put in place even now. It is not only ladies who can carry offensive weapons. More often than not, I have had reason to suspect that some of our colleagues carry offensive weapons in the House. The absence 3946 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES December 9, 2008 of security equipment and gadgets to check hon. Members, both ladies and gentlemen, is an indication of a big security lapse. Let us not be taken unawares one day. I, therefore, want to urge you, that the security that has been worked on for very many years now is put into action so that the security of this House is enhanced. We need to put this allowance of ladies coming into the Chamber with their handbags on the understanding that they will be subjected to security checks at the entrance of the Parliament. We just do not want handbags to be brought into the Chamber or hon. Members to come into Chamber without being checked. We want to be subjected to security checks. In this age and day, it is very important that our security is enhanced. Mr. Speaker, Sir I also want to underline the issue of the decisions that we make in legislation, especially on the Second Reading and the Third Reading. Many a time, this House has passed very important legislations with very few hon. Members present. Sometimes, there are only five hon. Members present and they pass a piece of legislation which has serious implications to members of the public, including the Finance Bill. I would, therefore, like to suggest that before a Question is put after Second Reading and Third Reading, there be quorum. Since this is not specifically provided for in these Standing Orders, I would like to suggest, and I will be putting an amendment in the Committee Stage, that, at least, notice be given so that Members are aware when we are going to vote for a certain piece of legislation so that the whips of the various parties can make sure that their Members are present at that time. We have also allowed, and I have noted that the Sub-Committee has graciously allowed the provision that the House will be addressed by a visiting Head of State. In the past, this House has not had an opportunity to be addressed by visiting Heads of State. This is a very big improvement in the way we do things. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the other area I am glad has been touched on is the issue of sub judice . We have seen issues like the Goldenberg scandal lasting many years and this House being blocked from discussing it simply because it is in court. I have seen my colleagues, Ministers, refusing to answer Questions purely on the excuse that the matters are in court. This is a matter that we did a lot of research on. I think the Chair should be given a leeway to make a decision as to whether the matter at hand would influence the decision of a matter that is before the courts. Again, this is a very positive thing that the new rules are giving. We have wasted a lot of time. Hon. Members have been wanting to propose Bills for enactment into law. The procedure that we have been following is lengthy, cumbersome and wasteful. This is because an hon. Member has to seek leave from the House and it takes a very long time. I am glad that the new Standing Orders will get rid of these procedures so that hon. Members have an opportunity to propose legislation so that when it is passed by the House, it becomes law. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to underline the importance of Committees. I notice that the new Standing Orders have established six additional Committees; Local Authorities and Funds Accounts Committee, Budget Committee, Committee on Delegated Legislation, Implementation Committee, Committee on Equal Opportunities and House Broadcasting Committee. Those are very important Committees and I just want to say how important it is for us to put a lot of importance to those Committees, so that we can, at least, see what the Committees want to achieve. Mr. Speaker, Sir, in conclusion, this afternoon, I want to pay tribute to my colleagues who worked with me when we did the first part of the Standing Orders. They are hon. Paul Muite, who is not a Member of Parliament now but formerly, the hon. Member for Kabete, hon. Daniel Khamasi, former Member for Shinyalu, hon. Nominated Member Esther Keino, the current Minister of State for Immigration and Registration of Persons, hon. Otieno Kajwang, hon. Wambora, former Member for Runjenyes and hon. Mutula Kilonzo, Minister for Nairobi Metropolitan Development. Those honourable Members served in my Committee and I want to pay special tribute to them for their contribution to the new Standing Orders. Equally, I December 9, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3947 want to mention the staff of the National Assembly; the current Clerk, Mr. Gichohi and other junior clerks, Messrs. Njoroge and Amollo who worked tirelessly to see that our work was fruitful. Also, SUNY Kenya, AWEPA and DFID helped us a lot during the time that we were considering this work. Therefore, I want to again add my voice to those who proposed and seconded and say that this is a milestone and, at long last, through your able leadership, Mr. Speaker, Sir, we are able to see light at the end of the tunnel that, by the approval of this House, we are finally going to have new Standing Orders. Mr. Speaker, Sir, you need to be applauded. The Sub-Committee needs to be applauded for bringing this work to its logical conclusion. I thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir."
}