How Kenyans will remember the 11th parliament
The two Houses have adjourned in readiness for the August 8 General Election.
Mbita MP Millie Odhiambo.
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The two Houses adjourned in readiness for the August 8 General Election, bringing to an end the 11th Parliament, amid frosty relations and with the Senate accusing the National Assembly of frustrating their legislative agenda.
However, his National Assembly counterpart took a swipe at the Senate suggesting that it should have been called a “Council of Tribal Chiefs”.
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During an interview on Citizen TV, Muturi said the Senate was an institution that housed leaders who did not know their roles.
The 11 Parliament will famously be known for the phrase which has come to be popularly known as the “Tyranny of Numbers”.
The phrase was a hypothesis generated by Political Scientist Mutahi Ngunyi who concluded that Raila Odinga and his 'CORD Alliance' lost 2013 election to Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Alliance the moment the voter registration ended on December 18, 2012.
Read Also: Why MPs are likely to be sent home early before the August elections following landmark court ruling
Uhuru later went on to win the election and Jubilee won majority in both houses.
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This saw President Kenyatta and the Jubilee Alliance pass numerous pieces of legislation easily as a result of their numerical strength.
In 2014, MPs on Thursday shamed the National Assembly by fighting, hurling abuse at each other and one splashing water on Deputy Speaker Joyce Laboso.
Kenyans watched live on national television as their representatives exchanged blows, tore copies of the Order Paper (the official record of the day’s transactions) and fought for control of the mace.
They had been recalled for a special session to debate the controversial security laws that had been criticised for taking away some civil liberties guaranteed in the Constitution.
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Machakos Senator Johnson Muthama, who was sitting with senators James Orengo, Boni Khalwale, Moses Wetang’ula in the Public Gallery, had his trouser and shirt torn in a scuffle.
Last year, loud whistling interrupted the Kenyan president as he tried to make his annual state of the nation address to parliament, which was broadcast live.
Opposition MPs began blowing on whistles a few seconds into President Uhuru Kenyatta's speech.
They had earlier vowed to disrupt proceedings to protest at the government's failure to address "deep-rooted corruption" in Kenya.
Seven MPs were removed and the address was delayed by half an hour.
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All these incidents will most likely come into minds of Kenyans when they remember our honourable members of the 11th parliament.
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