Kenyans on their own? Parliament adjourned after another quorum hitch, no business transacted
The Senate during the impeachment trial of Kericho County Governor Erick Mutai on October 14, 2024.
What you need to know:
- The latest quorum hitch comes just a week after the National Assembly was also forced to adjourn early.
- The Senate had lined up several business for the sitting, including 14 important motions and three Bills.
The Senate was forced to prematurely adjourn its morning session on Tuesday after just 23 minutes when it failed to muster the required number of senators to transact the business scheduled for the session, a move that is now becoming the norm in Parliament.
The early adjournment came after less than 15 senators, required for a quorum in the 67-member house, failed to turn up.
The development is a far cry from the packed house a day earlier during the impeachment proceedings against Kericho Governor Erick Mutai.
The latest quorum hitch in the Senate comes just a week after the National Assembly was also forced to adjourn early after failing to muster a quorum immediately after marshalling 326 MPs to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The House had lined up 14 motions and four private members' bills for debate on the Order Paper, a paper containing a schedule of business to be transacted in the House.
Not even the quorum bell, which rang for 15 minutes as ordered by the Deputy Speaker Gladys Shollei (Uasin Gishu County Woman MP) to alert members to the inadequate numbers in the House, did the trick.
According to Article 121 of the Constitution, the quorum in Parliament is 50 members, in the case of the National Assembly, and 15 members in the case of the Senate.
Deputy Speaker Kathuri Murungi ordered the bell to be rung for 15 minutes to try and raise a quorum, but to no avail.
"Honourable Senators, there being no quorum and having rung the bell in accordance with the provisions of Standing Order 40(2), the Senate stands adjourned until 2.30pm today," Murungi said as he adjourned the sitting.
The Senate had lined up several business for the sitting, including 14 important motions and three Bills at the second reading stage.
There were also three Bills at the Committee of the Whole House with major amendments to be moved.
The three Bills include the Meteorology Bill, 2023 and the National Construction Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2022 by Senate Majority Leader and Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot.
The other was the Cancer Prevention and Control (Amendment) Bill, 2022; a bill co-sponsored by Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei.
Other bills lined up for consideration by the House were the Public Finance Management (Amendment) Bill, 2023 by nominated Senator Hamida Kibwana; the Fire and Rescue Services Professionals Bill, 2023 by Mohamed Abass; the Houses of Parliament (Bicameral Relations) Bill, 2023; the Public Transport (Motorcycle Regulation) Bill, 2023 by Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale.
Other bills at the second reading stage to be considered were the three Nadco Report Bills, including The Political Parties (Amendment) Bill and The Election Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which are at the division stage, as well as The Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
Several reports by various committees of the House on investigations into various issues of national concern, including inclusiveness in the staffing of government departments in Kenya, the Embakasi gas explosion, the renewal of power purchase agreements and electricity supply in the country, as well as reports on the consideration of reports by the Auditor-General on the financial statements of various counties.
Failure of MPs to turn up in Parliament to perform their legislative, oversight and representative duties could be an indication that they don't take their work seriously.
The latest quorum hitch could be an indication that what directly affects the people is the least of MPs' concerns.
On September 18 this year, Senator Cheruiyot took issue with the early adjournment of Parliament due to quorum hitches.
He said Parliament is no longer as vibrant as it used to be a while back.
The senator also lamented how the Senate has become transactional, with members only appearing in the chamber to make statements before disappearing.
"I have to say, with a very heavy heart, that one of the greatest tragedies of this current Senate is that most afternoons it is extremely empty. I have never seen Parliament as empty as it is," Senator Cheruiyot said.
"I am used to seeing a Senate where people debate, not on points of order, but on Bills and legislation. That practice has long since disappeared because people have become transactional," he added.
He lashed out at the current generation of senators, whom he accused of arriving in the chamber at 2:30pm and leaving at 3:15pm.
"Look at the experience. For example, Senator (Dr) Oburu, the youth leader, is serving his seventh term in Parliament. Every afternoon, from 2:30 pm to sometimes very late, he has the energy to sit in this House despite his very advanced age," Mr Cheruiyot said.
"However, you will find young people in this House who come for two minutes and then take their calls and disappear. They are chasing a thousand and one things, none of which is extraordinary and adds no value to the country," he added.
The lawmaker said most of the time the order paper has more than 20 bills at the Committee of the Whole stage, some of which have been on the order paper for more than five months because the House cannot raise 24 delegations.
"Why do people fight so hard to be elected to this House and then leave their chairs empty? We must also be serious as a legislature. Millions of Kenyans yearn for the opportunity to sit in the legislature of their republic," he said.
