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{
    "id": 580009,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/580009/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 140,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ng’ongo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 110,
        "legal_name": "John Mbadi Ng'ong'o",
        "slug": "john-mbadi"
    },
    "content": "code of conduct regulating the conduct Members of the respective House of Parliament whilst within the precincts of that House other than the Chamber. There are two problems. The first one is that that Clause starts with the Speaker of the National Assembly and then it goes ahead to say that the relevant Speaker may, from time to time, as may be expedient, issue a code of conduct. If that Clause is talking about the Speaker of the National Assembly, then you cannot bring the two Houses under his ambit. Again, why do you give the Speaker the power to come up with a code of conduct to regulate the conduct of Members? If you have a rogue Speaker, he may issue a code of conduct that would not serve the interest of this House. So, those too much powers that we give the Speaker in this Bill may not be very helpful to the same principle of giving the Members of Parliament the capacity to execute their functions and discharge their responsibility as the representatives of their constituents. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Clause 16 talks about the Membership of the Powers and Privileges Committee. It talks about the quorum of the Committee. That is where I have a problem. It says that the quorum of the Committee in the case of the National Assembly shall be the Speaker and four other Members. It says “shall” be the Speaker and four other Members. What if the Speaker opts not to sit in the Powers and Privileges Committee like the case we had with the issues of the Public Accounts Committee? It means that the Powers and Privileges Committee cannot conduct its business. We need to put a rider that the Speaker can choose not to attend the Powers and Privileges Committee and can nominate someone to discharge the functions that he would otherwise have discharged. Those orders and the code of conduct that the Speaker is allowed to come up with can land a Member in serious problems. If you do not follow those codes of conduct, then you are in breach of the powers and privileges and the consequences are provided in law. We need to bring this House to approve those codes of conduct that the Speaker comes up with. Quickly, I want to talk about Clause 30. I really support this provision because it will stop cases of what we have been hearing about rent-seeking and Members of Parliament abusing their responsibilities and privileges that they enjoy in Committees to extort money out there and even in Parliament. I want to thank the Parliamentary Service Commission, through Hon. Keynan, my friend, who thought it wise to legislate that a person shall not by fraud, intimidation, force, insult or threat of any kind or by offer of promise, influence a Member in the performance of the Member’s functions, induce a Member to be absent from Parliament or attempt to compel a Member to declare something. Even those people who are offering bribes, it is now clear that that will be in breach of the powers and privileges. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, as I wind up, I want to thank Hon. Keynan for giving us an assurance that Clauses 27, 33, 34 and 35 will be looked at. In fact, it should go up to even Clause 36. Clause 27 provides that a person shall not broadcast televised or otherwise transmit by electronic means the proceedings of a House or a Committee of Parliament or any part of those proceedings. That is in contradiction to Article 38, 34, 35 and 118 of the Constitution and even Clause 34 which provides that a person commits an offence if the person publishes any false or scandalised libel on Parliament. 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."
}