National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi Introduces Changes in the 12th Parliament

Members of the National Assembly elected to the 12th Parliament will resort to using an ‘analogue’ system during Parliament proceedings.

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi on Wednesday announced that the digital biometric system adopted in the eighth Parliament was undergoing an overhaul.

Muturi instructed MPs to rise to their feet or wave their hands in order to attract the Speaker’s attention if they want to contribute during proceedings.

"In the meantime, a member wishing to move a Motion, seeking to second or contribute to a debate or raise a Point of Order is advised to catch the Speaker’s eye by raising in his or her place to speak,” Speaker Muturi stated.

“Members with disability are exempted from this interim procedure and are advised to raise their hand or hands from their places.”

Muturi further advised MPs to always begin by mentioning their names and the constituency they represent as they commence debate for the purposes of accurate Hansard recordings.

The Speaker also instructed MPs to always use the manual register for purposes regarding their attendance.

Muturi also asked all the 349 legislators to familiarise themselves with details of the system.

“The Clerk of the National Assembly is currently making arrangements to have all members’ details registered into the electronic system and issued with Chamber login cards. At the end, members will use these cards to make interventions to speak, vote in divisions, make interventions and raise Point of Orders,” Muturi stated.

“Similarly the Clerk of the National Assembly has also commenced the process of registration of all members in the biometric system for purposes of checking your Chamber attendance,” he added.