HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 185601,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/185601/?format=api",
"text_counter": 195,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Mungatana",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Medical Services",
"speaker": {
"id": 185,
"legal_name": "Danson Buya Mungatana",
"slug": "danson-mungatana"
},
"content": " Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to support this Motion. I just want to plead with the House for a few minutes. On Wednesday morning, a Motion was moved here, which sought to change the membership of the Parliament Service Commission (PSC), so that Members of Parliament can be subject to other bodies other than ourselves, in terms of looking after our affairs. That Motion was debated here by about ten of us. It was just because some of us were able to see it and plead with the Mover to withdraw it. All of us were going to be affected by that decision had the House adopted the Motion. Some of hon. Members were not here. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, yesterday, we had the Constitution of Kenya Review Bill, which seeks to set out the organs of the review process, which include the Committee of Experts, the Select Committee, Parliament itself and a National Referendum, as well as provide for the laws necessary to kick-start the review process. We debated that Bill here and lacked quorum. The Division Bell rung here for five minutes, but we were unable to raise quorum. On Thursday, five of us sat here. We were debating the Political Parties Act (Rules), which are the subsidiary Rules that actually require the things that we need to do to political parties in August 7, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2455 order for us to run the affairs of those political parties. That law was brought here by the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK), through the Ministry of Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs. One Rule, for instance, requires that if you change the membership of the office bearers of a political party, you have to inform the ECK within 14 days. If you do not do so, there are penalties. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, all of us here know that running political parties is a grave affair. We need more time to organise our political parties. If some of us were not here to debate those rules and change that provision to 30 days, all of us would have been affected. We changed many other things. For instance, one of the rules sought to provide for all branches of political parties to be confined within the district boundaries, and yet we know that the administrative boundaries are not the electoral area boundaries. We were five of us in this House then. I remember, Dr. Khalwale, seated on the other side of the House, while myself, Mr. Cheptumo, Mr. Githae, and others, sat on this side of the House. We concluded the passage of those rules, which affect all of us at 6.30 p.m., but hon. Members were not here. However, I do not blame hon. Members for not being here, because Members of Parliament are busy. They are not here because they are tired. It is not a shame to accept that we are human and, sometimes, we can get tired. Sometimes, we can need a break, not even to go and consult, but we can need a break so that we can re-organize, re-energize and take the affairs of this House seriously. I am pleading with this House: Let us just be honest with ourselves and accept it. If we do not do things the way they are supposed to be done, then we may not be heading in the right direction. I urge that, from practical experience, and for those of us who spend a lot of time in this House, it is true--- I am sure that hon. Members whom we spend time here together, from the attendance and the quorum, when it comes to debating Bills and serious business of the House, we are very few. So, I am pleading that we accept to pass this Motion, take a break and come back to continue with business. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you look at the parliamentary programme, which we are given every week, there is a very critical Constitutional Motion that seeks leave from this House to amend the Constitution to provide for the control of the calendar of this House. That Motion will be moved by Mr. Ethuro. I am urging this House that when that Motion comes, we can pass it. But for now, let us go the way we have moved previously. Thank you."
}