mzalendo :: Eye On Kenyan Parliament

Bankelele spent some time observing Parliamentary proceedings yesterday. A true Mzalendo he graciously agreed to share his experience with our readers. Read on and find out more about what goes on behind the scenes. And if you are willing/interested in attending a parliament session and filing a report  for Mzalendo, please get in touch via the contact page.

A DAY IN PARLIAMENT by Bankelele

(last names are respectfully used to abbreviate titles such as Hon. Mr _____ MP for _____).

Walk past also the garden table when MP’s often gather to issue harsh press conferences about their opponents/enemies to the assembled journalists and cameras for the 1 PM news. There’s also a lounge where they hold private meetings. In the hallway are huge boards announcing rules for visitors to Parliament including no talking, writing (except for media representatives who have their own gallery), laughing, taking photographs, using opera glasses wandering about etc.

Walked in to the house as Charity Ngilu was giving a speech the encouraging parliament to support a health bill. She mentioned that the country economic future was at stake her citizens were not healthy. Also that the government had erred when it did not continue with development of KEMRON (dawa which the Moi government has announced a few years ago was an AIDS cure) and which Ngilu said was later developed in Switzerland into a drug now used to treat Hepatitis B.

There are about 20 members in the house and I did not recognize the (temporary) speaker of the day. I was relieved that the speaker does not wear that awkward looking powdered white ceremonial wig. He was addressed, as “Mr Speaker, sir” and anyone who walked past the speaker’s dais has to bow, same as to a Judge in a court room.

Both sides of the chamber had about 10 members each. Karua was in charge on the government side, and I saw Wetangula, Munya, and a few others. Sitting alone on the back row was Nakitare.

The opposition side had Madoka seated alone on the front row following the proceedings carefully. There was more traffic on this side with Opposition MP’s such as Okundi, Olweny, Kamotho, and others walking in and out during the session, and later Charles Keter who came and sat next to Madoka.

Meanwhile behind the high MP’s benches, parliamentary staff carrying documents walk in and out of the chamber using several anonymous doors, like hidden Disney workers who enable Parliament to operate.

After Ngilu finished her speech, the second reading of her bill was passed with unanimous “Aye’s”, and no “Nay’s” and she then went to consult some people in the corner, who I assume were officers from her ministry about their bill. She then returned to the minister’s front row where she sat, one space away from Justice Minister Martha Karua.

After Ngilu, the next bill was announced, and the Minister for Heritage Mr. Suleiman Shakombo stood to present a museums bill to parliament. Kamotho and Okundi engaged in a rather loud conversation of their own as Shakombo explained that the bill would govern the heritage of the country, allowing structured funding and support of museums. He also said it would regulate the sector, prevent unscrupulous people from opening their own museums or taking cultural artefacts out of the country such as those of General Koinange, Koitalel arap Samoei, the man eaters of Tsavo (lions) ….

At this point, Keter stood to ask for a clarification of that line, whereupon Shakombo replied that this was from the time when “they were building the railway from my place to your place” and the whole place erupted into laughter.

Shakombo went on for a few more minutes before Keter again stood to get the speakers attention and inform him that the house did not have a quorum. (The chamber must have 30 MP’s, but a member must state this obvious fact for the Speaker to act). The speaker acknowledged this and broke the session up.

Karua turned to Norman Nyagah, the chief whip, who I had not noticed before, and he went out to round up MP’s from the lounge area to enable the session to continue.

And MP’s stood about and started talking for about 20 minutes. The numbers increased as Nyagah and the opposition whip rounded up more members. The scene reminded me of the chapter in Nelson De Mille;s “Gold Coast” novel, where the district attorney and a mafia don have a fiery confrontation in court followed an hour later by a very casual and friendly phone conversation - which astounded the don’s WASP lawyer. Likewise, just as MP’s breathe fire about their colleagues on the opposite side in public, behind closed doors they are friendly millionaire buddies who slap each other on their backs and affectionately refer to their colleagues by their last names.

I remember seeing live C-SPAN and BBC broadcasts of American and British Parliaments and still believe it would be possible for our Parliament to rig up a few remote cameras to capture the proceedings live on KBC and Citizen (it’s only a few afternoon hours during the week) but how would this scene play out to viewers at home?

Finally the speaker announced that they were unable to muster a quorum and he adjourned the Thursday session till 230 on Tuesday - unbelievably, that a four and a half day weekend!

He then marched out escorted between two sergeants, one who carried the ceremonial mace, and MPs happily filed out behind him to the lounge, their offices, their cars, and their lives.

And that’s an hour of a day at parliament.