Voting in Parliament goes hi tech

BY LABAN WANAMBISI

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null 1/1 NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 30 - Kenya's Parliament is set to undergo a major digital transformation, with the introduction of electronic voting for MPs during debate among others. Speaker of the National Assembly Kenneth Marende said electronic voting will help save time during proceedings which will also be streamed live over the Internet. In a speech read on his behalf by the Chairman of the Energy, Communications and Information Committee James Rege, the Speaker also said plans were underway to have parliamentary proceedings beamed via mobile phones. This is part of the ongoing modernisation of Parliament's main debating chamber which is expected to be complete by November this year.  Deputy Clerk Owino Omollo said each MP who wishes to contribute in debates will only be required to press a button, as opposed to currently where they have to stand and speak to catch the Speaker's eye. The Speaker will have a screen in front of him to see which MP has pressed the button to contribute on the floor. MPs are currently using the 160-seat Old Chamber, which will subsequently be designated for use by the Senate. Information Permanent Secretary Bitange Ndemo said introduction of ICT will enhance transparency, accountability and provide the public with relevant information on the activities of the august House "It will provide a certain level of transparency where, for example, one will know when there is quorum, how the MPs vote for a certain Bill or Motion and thus save time," he said during the National Assembly's ICT  Open Day. He challenged content and application developers to come up with a system that can hold the legislators accountable. Mr James Rege called upon the Communications Commission of Kenya and the Ministry of Information and Communication to address affordability of broadband services to the citizens. "The world is transforming very fast to use of ICT services and our MPs are exceptional. The use of technology to cover parliamentary proceedings is a matter that cannot be debated," he said. Follow us on TWITTER @CapitalFM_Kenya

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