By NJERI RUGENE njeri@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Tuesday, February 8 2011 at 21:00
Court orderlies on Monday failed to serve an order on Parliament after sneaking into a committee sitting.
This prompted House Speaker Kenneth Marende to rule that anyone intending to serve Parliament with a court order must follow its laws.
“These developments are worrying as they are a violation of the National Assembly Powers and Privileges Act Cap 6 Laws of Kenya, the Standing Orders and the Speaker’s Rules. I therefore wish to take this opportunity to invite all people who may wish to interact with the National Assembly Powers and Privileges Act Cap 6 Laws of Kenya. I wish to draw particular attention to the provisions of sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 and 29 of the said Act,” he said.
Mr Marende, who did not disclose identities of the persons, said committees only enjoy delegated powers and not absolute powers of the entire Parliament.
He said court summonses intended for Parliament should be directed to the Speaker or Clerk of the National Assembly.
“Other members of Parliament or House committees have no authority to accept such services,” he declared.
“In order to stem what is a practice that must not be allowed to set root, I am hereby directing the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Serjeant-at-Arms and all other relevant officers of the House to abide by and ensure strict compliance with all the laws relating to the powers and privileges of the House,”
On Monday, the House committees on legal affairs and finance interviewed several individuals over the contentious presidential nomination of four constitutional office holders.
On Monday, the President and Prime Minister failed to agree on the nominees and committed to abide by the decisions of the two committees.
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