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"id": 517782,
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"speaker_name": "Hon. Kajwang’",
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"content": "Yes, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I am laying a foundation and basis on which we are requesting the extension of time; it began from the letter that sprang from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs, hon. Samuel Chepkong’a, who wrote to the Chairman of the Procedure and House Rules Committee,seeking proposals on how to discharge a Member from a committee. You, hon. Members, know that hon. Chepkong’a had proposed, through the Committee, I believe, that when a Member is discharged from a committee then that Member should be brought before the Plenary for a resolution of the House, either to discharge him or not to discharge him. And so, he has requested a consideration of the Standing Orders that would effect that kind of thing. Secondly, the Leader of the Majority Party has requested, similarly, for the Committee to consider whether we can graduate the Standing Orders to clearly define issues of gross misconduct. I was about to say the third thing, that is consequences to people named for disorderly conduct or gross disorderly conduct, so that there are also punishments which are commensurate to the conduct that is in question. Right now, under the Standing Orders, the hon. Speaker will only send out somebody for the rest of the day or for at most four days or something like that. There is thinking from the Leader of the Majority Party that we may want to graduate these things so that the Speaker has a better control of order in the Chamber: the place of the Mace for example and interruption of procession of the Speaker. For example if someone were to cross the Speaker’s line as the procession is either entering the Chamber; misconduct of Members, strangers in the Gallery, strangers in the presence of the House generally, misconduct of a Member during the President’s Address on Special Sittings, misconduct of a Member after ordinary days of the sessions have ended, misconduct of a Member during the last day of the Session, and Members want to hear this also, procedure for the removal of the Speaker. You know that the Standing Orders do not attempt to explain the procedure for the removal of the Speaker. It is left to the Constitution and until the Constitution has been broken down, either in legislation or in Standing Orders, hon. Members here who, for very good reasons, may wish to move a Motion that the Speaker be removed from office may not know the procedure by which that is done. The Committee had several sittings to consider the above proposals. However, we request that any other hon. Member who has proposed amendments to the Standing Orders should write to the Committee, so that when we present the report to the House it is comprehensive and reflects the views in the contributions of the House. I remember that this was a very important issue of discussion during the leadership retreat, but I think it needs to be widened to cover all Members of the National Assembly, so that there is wide consultation on this issue, not just in the National Assembly but with other stakeholders and members of the public. We have public participation in these issues in general. We should be informed by the extensive consultations required, the analysis of several traditions, how other jurisdictions do their things in other areas, set precedent and The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}