Home » Media Centre » Blogs » Report on Day 1 of Parliament (October 3rd)
As you might know, Parliament reconvened today after a two month recess. Mzalendo supporter and volunteer citizen reporter, Bankelele, was there to provide us with first-hand coverage.
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On to the report...
By Bankelele
It was business as usual with debate on an energy bill/energy ministry budget in the half hour. This was the fullest I had seen Parliament with about 50 MP's sitting in for the afternoon (4 PM). I was there just as Minister Martha Karua finished her comment supporting the Energy vote. Next up was opposition side MP KANU's Joe lagat
Some comments by MP Lagat:
- Energy ministry should have a full minister, not an acting minister
- Allocation for rural electrification should be doubled from 2 billion to 4 billion shillings
- Government should stop subsidising KPLC in its power purchase from Kengen
- Scrap the electricity regulatory board (ERB) whose only job it appears is to set the price at which power is sold to KPLC. Is that a full time job or something better done by a committee of experts
meeting occasionally?
- Stop including jiko and wood fuel research items in budget.
- Kenya Refineries Company is inefficient – unable to produce low sulphur diesel or unleaded petrol. Others should be allowed to compete with it.
- Tax increase in June budget contributed to high fuel prices
- Since the national oil corporation (NOCK) was set up by the Government in the 90's to compete with multinational, it should set
the tone by lowering its fuel pump prices
When he finished MP's on both sides stand up hoping to catch the speaker's attention and contribute to the bill. The speaker then
called on an MP from the government side began by calling for more hydro electric projects in western Kenya and efforts to tap wind power.
Conclusion
Parliament has a backlog of urgent bills that have to be passed, but in the half hour I was there one MP was able to for 30 minutes, enumerating some points - some good, some common sense. With so many urgent matters, can this be speeded up? I always hear about the standing orders being cumbersome to bill passage, but are they never reviewed, and if if one MP is able to talk for 1/10 of Parliaments' day how long does it take for a bill to pass?
Is the contribution meaningful? Is anyone listening? Ministers were there, some taking notes as they waited to speak. But the Speaker also twice had to admonish some MP's in both corners when their huddled conversations became loud enough to interrupt the proceedings.
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