House privileges shocker

FRIDAY, 22 JULY 2011 00:06 BY ISAAC ONGIRI

MPs were yesterday making frantic efforts to protect themselves from facing court battles over controversial utterances made within Parliament. The legislators are protesting over a landmark court ruling that has found a former MP guilty of making malicious utterances within Parliament against city lawyer George Oraro. The court has ordered former Kisumu Town East MP Gor Sungu to pay the lawyer Sh3 million for damages. It is feared that with the precedent, MPs and the media are now unsafe from quoting from privileged documents from Parliament.

Yesterday Kisumu Town West MP Olago Aluoch requested the Speaker to make a ruling on the outcome of the court decision which he said was a threat to the powers and privileges of the National Assembly. “Mr Speaker I request that you give directions on this matter because it impacts seriously on the privileges of parliament,” Olago said. Olago said that the freedoms enjoyed will be curtailed following the precedent set by the court when the ruling against Sungu was made.

Ikolomani MP Dr Boni Khalwale while making his contributions expressed sympathy for  Sungu saying that the punitive ruling made against him could impoverish him. “I agree that the speaker should give directions on this matter. I know that member and I know he was not doing any business and is purely dependent on his pension. That ruling will badly hurt him economically,” Khalwale said.

Mutito MP Kiema Kilonzo accused the courts of infringing on the doctrine of parliamentary powers and privileges. “Mr. Speaker in your ruling you must consider the independence of freedom of parliament which is under threat,”Kiema said. But two MPs Zakayo Cheruiyot (Kuresoi) and his Juja counterpart William Kabogo warned MPs to enjoy the privileges responsibly.

Cheruiyot questioned Gor Sungu’s behavior during the inquiry of the Ouko murder when he was the chairman of the select committee that probed the killing of the former minister.

Kabogo warned that the speaker’s ruling should be made careful to ensure conflicts on the separations of powers was contained. Marende promised to rule on the matter later.