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{
    "id": 770190,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/770190/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 111,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Didmus Mutua",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1885,
        "legal_name": "Didmus Wekesa Barasa Mutua",
        "slug": "didmus-wekesa-barasa-mutua"
    },
    "content": "I rise to second the Motion for the adoption of the Report of the Procedure and House Rules Committee on proposed amendments to the Standing Orders. It is very important because this Report will cure the previous injustices that were done on a number of Members. You understand that the role of Members of Parliament is clear. They usually carry out those roles at committee levels. Whether you are a Member of the Minority Party, Majority Party or an Independent MP, we are all equal. Therefore, it is very important that all Members are accommodated so that they can serve in two committees as opposed to what happened previously where you would find one Member belonging to two committees, being a chairman or vice-chairman of another while we have other Members who felt disenfranchised. It is also very important that the activities of committees continue without being affected by the absence of the chairman or the vice-chairman like has been the case in the past. For instance, some committees could not sit to deliberate on very important matters simply because the chairpersons were attending to other committees or they had travelled out of the country. So, this Motion seeks to ensure that when you are the chairman or the vice-chairman of a committee, you will not have undivided loyalty - You will commit yourself to what is expected of you as you lead that committee. I also want to clarify to the House that when you are a Commissioner at the Parliamentary Service Commission, that does not stop you from being a Member of Parliament. Therefore, if we exclude you from being a member of the committee then we would be disfranchising you in terms of denying you the right to carry out your duties as a legislator. So, we said that a member of the PSC can also be a member of a committee, but will certainly not be a chairperson or vice-chairperson. That is the clarification that I want to make. I think it was an oversight from the proposer, my good friend, Hon. T.J. Kajwang’. Therefore, it is clear from the Report that when you are a member of PSC you can also be a member of any committee only that you will not be the chairman or the vice-chairman. That is very important because commissioners at the PSC are also Members of Parliament and they too need to carry out their legislative duties at the committee level. This Motion will ensure that as a Member of Parliament, a son of a farmer..."
}