House on brink of making history

The 10th Parliament will be making history as the first in Kenya to sit on a Saturday. Photo/FILE

By NATION TEAM
Posted Wednesday, August 25 2010 at 22:38

The Government is expected to bring a motion on Thursday to seek House approval for a special sitting on Saturday.

Leader of Government Business in Parliament Kalonzo Musyoka will bring the procedural motion which, if approved, will result in a historic sitting where all 222 MPs will take a fresh oath of office in line with the new Constitution. President Kibaki will also take his oath as Othaya MP.

The 10th Parliament will be making history as the first in Kenya to sit on a Saturday. The new Constitution requires State officers who have taken the oath of office under the current Constitution to swear fresh allegiance to the incoming one to be promulgated on Friday by the President.

Speaker Kenneth Marende will administer the oath in the 160-seater Old Parliament Chambers as the current chambers are being renovated and will be ready next April.

Round of oaths

Clerk of the National Assembly Patrick Gichohi will swear in Mr Marende before the Speaker swears in the MPs, including his deputy, Mr Farah Maalim. The Speaker and his deputy’s oath will be slightly different from that of the MPs.

Apart from swearing allegiance to the people, the Republic and the Constitution, the two will also swear to “do right to all manner of persons” in accordance with the Constitution and the laws and conventions of Parliament “without fear or favour, affection or ill will.”

Another round of oaths will take place at Parliament’s County Hall on the same day for members of the Parliamentary Service Commission. The Speaker, who chairs the commission and the Clerk, who is its secretary, are also expected to take the oath.

The commission, which runs the affairs of Parliament comprises nine MPs with Mr Walter Nyambati (Kitutu Masaba) as the vice-chairman. For the first time in the country’s history, the new Constitution has provision for the public to join the commission.

Parliament will be required to appoint a man and a woman who are non-MPs but with extensive service in public affairs. Meanwhile, Parliament is expected to take a break next week if MPs approve an adjournment motion slated for next Tuesday. The MPs will be away for three weeks.

By Njeri Rugene, John Ngirachu and Caroline Wafula