Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu was ignored on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, after she forgot the procedure for rising on a point of order during the afternoon session.
Nyamu had risen on a point of order, interrupting the presentation of Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, who is also a deputy party leader of the ODM party.
However, when the speaker at the time, Catherine Mumma, inquired on which point of order Nyamu had risen, she noted that she had forgotten.
A point of order is raised during the house proceedings when a legislator believes that certain laid-down procedures of debate have been flouted or overlooked during the session.
Nyamu: Osotsi is taking this opportunity to speak of his party.
Mumma: What is your point of order?
Nyamu: Under… (giggles) Madam Speaker, I forget the actual…
Osotsi: Madam Speaker, this is misconduct. She is trying to waste my time.
Nyamu: This is not an ODM meeting.
Osotsi: Madam Speaker, I ignore that one.
Nyamu had risen to a point of order, which she failed to remember after Osotsi went ahead to heap praise on his party for nominating members ‘of quality.’
“If you look in this house, madam Speaker, the persons who have been nominated in the National Assembly and Senate for the ODM Party are of very high quality,” Osotsi started before Nyamu interrupted.
“This demonstrates that ODM is a party of quality,” he added.
Asige’s inclusion Bill
In his defence, Osotsi stated that the bill on the floor of the house at the moment was that of nominations and that he was not out of order to talk about nominations.
During the session, ODM’s nominated senator Crystal Asige was having her sponsored a bill on the inclusion of five per cent of people with disabilities in all the elective and appointive seats in the government.
In the current system, where there are 349 MPs, the bill envisages a situation where 18 of the total MPs are people living with disabilities of any kind.
Currently, out of the 67 members of the Senate, only two are people living with disabilities. The law wants it increased to at least three.
During the session, Homa Bay County Senator Moses Kajwang indicated that even stammerers were categorized as people with disabilities and were entitled to nominations should Asige’s bill sail through.
“Even stuttering is defined as speech impairment. So, someone who stammers is qualified for nomination as a representative for persons with disabilities,” Kajwang’ stated.
