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"id": 440304,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Kajwang’",
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"legal_name": "Tom Joseph Kajwang'",
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"content": "from the Floor of the House. They will be granted privileges which are in Cap.6, National Assembly Powers and Privileges Act. Hon. Speaker, we propose also in the Standing Order No.30 to readjust the morning hours of Wednesday, which is the Members’ Day, so that we can address the problem that we have seen in the House; the issues of traffic and issues that Members must look into every morning. It has been very difficult to convene at 9.00 a.m. sharp in the morning, so that the business of the House can begin. So, we have proposed that we can begin at 9.30 a.m., but also increase the time of sitting on Wednesday morning to 1.00 O’clock, so that the people who brought us here will still get the value of the time that they require us to be here. We propose that we designate Cabinet Secretaries reporting time. This is now in furtherance of Article 153(4). As I have said, there are two issues here. One, a Cabinet Secretary may respond to a request, but a Cabinet Secretary may also on his own initiative bring a report. However, a Cabinet Secretary who does not bring a report or does not respond to a request will be obligated also under these rules that once in a year, he must bring a report to the House. The way of presenting these reports, the manner in which they will be, the manner in which they will be processed is in the Standing Orders that have been proposed. Many of them are in the discretion of the Speaker, but Members are urged to familiarize themselves, so that when this particular Standing Order is now put to use, they will know how therefore, to approach the Speaker and the Clerk’s offices to prepare their requests. The last has to do with the submission to the Cabinet Secretary. This bespeaks to the point that the Clerk will request the relevant Cabinet Secretary for inclusion in the report of the House. It means that the Clerk will prepare some kind of a schedule, so that we also do not keep Cabinet Secretaries here all the time, but also that they are able to adjust their time accordingly and with consultation from the Clerk’s Office, they can come before us. The Leader of Majority Party, this is the last one and I had hoped that he would be here to hear this because I am sure this is music to his ears. The Leader of Majority Party shall submit to the Speaker for approval, a schedule containing the order in which the Cabinet Secretaries shall present their reports to the House. We think that he, therefore, becomes the office that can coordinate or can be the adjunct between the House and the Cabinet Secretaries, so that we have a meaningful engagement without pressing unduly the Cabinet Secretaries for the things that they have to say. I have covered the amendments that we intend to bring. There are several other amendments, but Members will know that before we propose an amendment, we would want it to mature in the minds of the Members until we think that it is now an issue that should cause an amendment to the Standing Orders. Many of the proposals that have been made by the Members are with the Committee, but we think that this is so urgent that the time has come that we need to face it, so that the Members can easily use the provisions of the Standing Order to give their request. I beg to move. I want to ask my very good friend, the Member for Rarieda, who is an octogenarian Member of this House and knows the Standing Orders like the back of his hand, to come and second."
}