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{
"id": 997175,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/997175/?format=api",
"text_counter": 125,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Speaker",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "(4) The National Super Alliance (NASA) Coalition, has a total of 126 Members made up of the Orange Democratic Movement’s (ODM) 73 Members, Wiper Democratic Movement Kenya’s (WDM – K) 23 Members, Amani National Congress’ (ANC) 14 Members, Ford - Kenya’s 13 Members, Chama Cha Mashinani’s (CCM) two Members and the Chama Cha Uzalendo Party with one Member. (5) There are 12 other parties with representation in the House according to the records availed to my office by the Registrar of Political Parties vide a letter dated 8th June 2020, which was yesterday. The 12 parties do not belong to any coalition. These are the Economic Freedom Party (EFP) with five Members in the National Assembly, the Maendeleo Chap Party (MCCP) with four Members, the Kenya National Congress Party (KNC), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Kenya Patriots Party each with two Members; the Democratic Party of Kenya (DP), the Party of National Unity (PNU), Frontier Alliance Party (FAP), the National Agenda Party of Kenya (NAPK), the New Democrats (ND) and the Muungano Party, each with one Member in the National Assembly and the Movement for Democracy and Growth Party (MDG) to which the Member for Ugenya belongs. In terms of total membership, these parties, which do not fall within the definition of parliamentary parties, have a total membership of 22 Members. (6) There are 14 elected independent Members in the House. Since each of them ought to be independent from the other and are not political parties, none of them would sit at the bargaining table — as was the practice in the 7th Parliament — reserved for parliamentary parties, even if they were to number more than 18 cumulatively. (7) Adding the number of Members belonging to parties which are neither parliamentary parties nor in coalition with any parliamentary party, together with the number of independent Members, they total 36 Members. (8) Save for 20 slots reserved by the Standing Orders for parliamentary office holders, there are currently 622 committee slots in the committee system of this House, which ideally, ought to have been shared amongst the membership in a fair and transparent criteria in keeping with the full expectations of the constitution and the provisions of Standing Order No.174. Hon. Members, with these facts in mind, the questions that confront the Speaker are, how should the 36 Members, get to sit in committees? If they are already members of committees, is Standing Order No.176 available to a parliamentary party for the party to exercise the discharge powers therein, and discharge any of the 36 Members from the committees? Hon. Members, Article 1 of the Constitution provides for the sovereignty of the people of Kenya, and spells out the manner in which the people of Kenya can exercise their sovereign power. In particular, Article 1(2) provides that the people may exercise their sovereign power either directly or through their democratically elected representatives. It, therefore, follows that each elected representative in this House, whether elected through a parliamentary party, a party other than a parliamentary party, or indeed, an independent Member exercises the sovereign power of the people the Member represents in the House. This is also why Part 3 of Chapter 7 of the Constitution — on the representation of the people, which is a whole part with various provisions on political parties — does not distinguish between parliamentary parties and other parties. It deliberately refers to all political parties. To interpret, therefore, that the Members from parties other than parliamentary political parties, should be disfranchised due to their few numbers in the House, is to introduce a criteria that is not contemplated in the Constitution. Moreover, 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."
}