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{
    "id": 580042,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/580042/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 173,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Gichigi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1909,
        "legal_name": "Samuel Kamunye Gichigi",
        "slug": "samuel-kamunye-gichigi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. It is important that we designate proper areas where the picketing and demonstrations can be held so that they do not interfere with the operations and proceedings of Parliament. Sometimes, I enjoy when I interact with demonstrators and they are able to make their presentations. However, we also need to be alive to the risks of the possibility of mischievous or ill- intended people waylaying Members of Parliament within the precincts of Parliament or the roads leading to Parliament. I am also happy with the curtailment of some of these privileges by way of sanctions and penalties. It is important, like my colleague Hon. Muthomi has indicated, that we do not take advantage of the forum that we have in Parliament to settle scores that have arisen outside Parliament. It would be shameful for a Member of Parliament to come here and attack a person just because we have these privileges. It is important that we protect people who cannot defend themselves in this House through the sanctions that have been provided for in the Bill. Whenever a Committee wants to summon witnesses, the provisions are not very clear. I am happy that Part V of this Bill takes care of that. It provides how to summon witnesses, how to handle them when they appear before Committees and what to do when they are not co-operative or fail to appear. This lacuna has been hindering the conduct of business of our Committees. I have a “beef” with a few clauses. Perhaps, they can be looked into at the Committee of the whole House. Clause 11 suggests that we can legislate to completely oust the jurisdiction of the courts. That is not possible under the current Constitution. We need to see what we can say the courts cannot interfere with. Where the courts have constitutional jurisdiction to review conduct of Parliament, we cannot oust their jurisdiction. 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."
}