Parliament adjourns early as MPs snub sitting

Written By:Catherine Achieng'a,    Posted: Wed, Jul 20, 2011

Backbenchers snub Wednesday morning's sitting without explanation despite coming freshly from recess Parliament was Wednesday morning forced to cut short its business and adjourn as legislators were absent to move motions slated for debate on the order paper. Just a day after returning from a 3 week recess, Parliament adjourned at 10 a.m. two and a half hours before time as backbenchers failed to turn up to move their motions. 3 legislators including Ainamoi MP Benjamin Langat, Turkana Central MP Ekwe Ethuro, and Emuhaya MP Wilbur Otichillo all expected to move motions did not show up in Parliament with no explanation given, forcing Deputy Speaker Farah Maalim to suspend the morning sitting with no business to transact in the absence of the movers. Langat was expected to move a motion urging the government to urgently subsidize the prices of all categories of petroleum fuel to maintain pump prices to a maximum of 80 shillings a liter through setting up of a consumer petroleum fuel subsidy fund. The Turkana Central MP also had a motion seeking to have the water ministry allocate 10 percent of its budget to all constituencies in equal proportion and a further 10 percent to the Northern Kenya and ASAL constituencies to improve water availability. The Emuhaya MP had a motion seeking to have the Kenyan government bar the Ethiopian government from constructing the Gibe 3 hydro power dam until an independent and comprehensive environmental and social impact assessment is undertaken and appropriate mitigation measures put in place. Wednesday mornings are reserved for backbenchers to move motions for debate in the House.