New order as political greenhorns take over from old guard in House

  SHARE

 BOOKMARKPRINTRATING

Senate Speaker Ekwee Ethuro (centre) and nominated Senator Zipporah Kittony do a jig at a dinner for members of the new House at the Intercontinental hotel, Nairobi, following their swearing-in on Thursday. Photo/RAPHAEL NJOROGE  NATION MEDIA GROUP

By CAROLINE WAFULA cwafula@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Saturday, March 30  2013 at  00:30

IN SUMMARY

• Out of 349 members, only 58 legislators of the Tenth Parliament made it back to the National Assembly
• For the first time, the President did not preside over the inaugural session

SHARE THIS STORY

  

0
inShare

Close to three quarters of the elected members of the National Assembly are newcomers to Parliament.

Out of the 349 members, only 58 members of the Tenth Parliament made it back to the National Assembly in the March 4 election.

In total, 73 of the 222 MPs in the last Parliament were (re-)elected — some to the legislative House, the Senate and as Governors. Fourteen of them are on their third and fourth terms.

Only 97 MPs of the current House membership have served for two or more terms, the rest are fresh MPs. This represents just about a third composition of the new House.

Dr Oburu Oginga, the former assistant Finance minister and brother of Prime Minister Raila Odinga, is the longest-serving MP in the current House.

Dr Oginga is serving his fifth term, having been Bondo MP for the last 22 years.

He was first elected in 1995 in a by-election following the death of his father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, who was the area MP.

Dropped out of race

Dr Oginga dropped out of the race for the Siaya Governor seat in the March 4 election and was nominated by ODM. Most of his contemporaries are serving in the Senate and others as Governors.

Five MPs are on their fourth term in Parliament. They include the first Kenyan female minister, Mrs Winfred Nyiva Mwendwa, who was elected on the Wiper Democratic Movement ticket.

She was elected the Kitui West MP three times, in 1974 and 1992 on a Kanu ticket and in 2002 as a Narc legislator.

She lost her bid to defend the seat in the 2007 General Election on an ODM-K ticket to Mr Charles Nyamai who was elected on Narc.

Others back in Parliament for their fourth terms are Mandera North MP Adan Nooru Mohamed, Kitutu Chache MP Jimmy Angwenyi and Kinango MP Gonzi Rai.

Mr Mohammed was first elected to Parliament in 1988 and re-elected in 1992 and 1997 as the MP for Mandera Central before Mr Billow Kerrow came in and thereafter Mr Abdikadir Mohammed.

The Mandera North MP was elected on a URP ticket, Mr Angwenyi and Mr Rai on TNA and Mr Otieno on an ODM ticket.

Seventeen MPs are doing their third term, among them outspoken nominated TNA MP Amina Abdalla, who was nominated by Kanu in the last two terms.

Among those on their third term in the National Assembly are some who served in previous Parliament and have made a come-back to the House after a stint outside.

Starehe’s Maina Kamanda and Sigor MP Philip Rotino are this category.

Among the newcomers are journalists Ayub Savula and Migori Women Representative Denitta Gati.

The National Assembly has 349 MPs, the highest number in Kenya’s history. The last Parliament had 222 members, 210 elected and 12 nominated.

There are 290 members elected to represent constituencies and 47 women representatives each elected at the County level.

Another 12 members have been nominated by parliamentary political parties according to their strength in the National Assembly.

The latter is in line with Article 90 of the Constitution which demands representation of special interests including youth, persons with disabilities and workers. It is the first time the House has more representation of minority groups.

Down in history

The 11th Parliament is unique in its composition and goes down in history as the first House in the country to be widely representative — people with disability, women and the youth.

And for the first time in Kenya’s legislative history, the President did not preside over Thursday’s inaugural session of the august House.

In the past, the Head of State has also been an elected MP and was usually sworn in first. The President would then give his first opening speech to the House after the swearing-in.

This time round, the President only summoned the first sitting of the House for the swearing-in of MPs.