While speaking in support of the re-vote, MPs Millie Odhiambo (Mbita) and Priscilla Nyokabi (Nyeri County) said they will be organising another occasion where the members can ‘throw a good jig’.
“For the women members I think we need another dinner dance. Those who might have missed the dinner dance yesterday don’t worry (because) over the weekend there will be another one, so that next week this Bill can pass,” Nyokabi said.
“I would like to encourage our brothers, we are not bribing you, but we are begging for the sake of our sisters, our aunties, our grandmothers and even the ones who are shouting mistresses, that for purposes of this I have no qualms, even if it is Mr Mabona (her husband) who wants to bring a co-wife to join me here, I will be very willing, Mr Speaker, Odhiambo said.
Duale led the request for a re-vote after the Speaker said he was hesitant to declare the vote had been lost because the number of MPs who voted against had not achieved the definite threshold to conclude the matter had been lost.
“What we are doing, Mr Speaker, is historic. What the Ninth Parliament could not do, what the Tenth Parliament under the stewardship of the late Mutula Kilonzo could not achieve, looks like the Eleventh Parliament will go down in history as the House that managed to pass all the 30 pieces of the Constitution implementation laws expect the one which will complete the full realisation of the constitution implementation process,” Duale noted.
Suba MP John Mbadi urged the Speaker to declare the vote lost which would open the door for any Kenyan citizen to move to court and seek the dissolution of the Eleventh Parliament on grounds that they have failed in the constitutional mandate to pass the legislation.
“We have to be ruthlessly honest with each other; this idea of pretending that we are supporting this Bill and we are not, I think we should just say as a House that we have failed so that the people of Kenya can decide what to do. Mr Speaker, it is pretence even if you defer this thing for five days we will still not get the numbers,” he said.
During the sitting, the Speaker was forced to extend the ringing of the Division Bell by an extra 15 minutes. He had earlier ordered that the bell be rang for 10 minutes after which he was informed that the two-thirds quorum had not been attained.
Muturi informed MPs that there were only 229 members present in the House – which is four MPs shy of the required threshold.
Duale and Minority Deputy Leader Jakoyo Midiwo and Chief Whip Thomas Mwadeghu ran out of the Debating Chamber to shepherd MPs back to the House to ensure they had numbers.
The MPs had earlier approved a Bill seeking to stop the Judiciary from interfering with the legislative process on Wednesday received overwhelming support from MPs.
242 MPs voted in support of the Bill while only 5 opposed the legislation sponsored by Homa Bay MP Peter Kaluma.
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