10th Kenyan Parliament
Encyclopedia
The 10th Parliament of the National Assembly
of the Republic of Kenya was opened on January 15, 2008, with the Orange Democratic Movement
of Raila Odinga
in the majority. Raila was a candidate in the 2007 presidential elections
, which resulted in a controversial victory for Mwai Kibaki of the PNU
. ODM member Kenneth Marende
was elected speaker of the 10th parliament, defeating PNU member Francis ole Kaparo 105-101 in the third round of balloting.
The opening of the parliament was fraught with jeers, cheers and brawls between the opposing parties; Mwai Kibaki was greeted by the ODM members with silence and boos, while Raila was greeted by PNU members with accusations of genocide.
The inauguration of the 10th Parliament's first session commenced on March 6, 2008, when Odinga was sworn in as provisional Prime Minister
and the National Accord and Reconciliation Act 2008
was passed.
National Assembly of Kenya
The unicameral National Assembly of Kenya is the country's legislative body.The current National Assembly has a total of 224 members. 210 members are directly elected in single member constituencies using the simple majority system...
of the Republic of Kenya was opened on January 15, 2008, with the Orange Democratic Movement
Orange Democratic Movement
Orange Democratic Movement refers to a political party in Kenya, which is the successor of a former grassroots people's movement which was formed in the 2005 Kenyan constitutional referendum. The erstwhile single party which separated in August 2007 into two...
of Raila Odinga
Raila Odinga
Raila Amollo Odinga , also popularly known to Kenyans as Agwambo, is a Kenyan politician, currently serving as the Prime Minister of Kenya in a coalition government. He has served as a Member of Parliament for Langata since 1992, was Minister of Energy from 2001 to 2002, and was Minister of Roads,...
in the majority. Raila was a candidate in the 2007 presidential elections
Kenyan presidential election, 2007
A presidential election was held as part of the Kenyan general election on December 27, 2007; parliamentary elections were held on the same date. Incumbent President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner and sworn in on December 30, despite opposition leader Raila Odinga's claims of victory...
, which resulted in a controversial victory for Mwai Kibaki of the PNU
Party of National Unity (Kenya)
Party of National Unity was founded as a political coalition of parties in Kenya. On September 16, 2007, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki announced the party formation and said that he would run as its presidential candidate in the December 2007 Kenyan elections...
. ODM member Kenneth Marende
Kenneth Marende
Kenneth Otiato Marende, born 7 January 1956, is the Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya's 10th Parliament. He was elected Speaker on January 15, 2008. Prior to his election as Speaker, Hon...
was elected speaker of the 10th parliament, defeating PNU member Francis ole Kaparo 105-101 in the third round of balloting.
The opening of the parliament was fraught with jeers, cheers and brawls between the opposing parties; Mwai Kibaki was greeted by the ODM members with silence and boos, while Raila was greeted by PNU members with accusations of genocide.
The inauguration of the 10th Parliament's first session commenced on March 6, 2008, when Odinga was sworn in as provisional Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Kenya
The Prime Minister of Kenya is a post in the Kenyan government. The first Prime Minister of Kenya was Jomo Kenyatta who became Prime Minister in 1963. In 1964, Kenya became a Republic and the post of Prime Minister was abolished and Jomo Kenyatta assumed the position of President...
and the National Accord and Reconciliation Act 2008
National Accord and Reconciliation Act 2008
The National Accord and Reconciliation Act of 2008 is an act of the National Assembly of Kenya that temporarily re-established the offices of Prime Minister of Kenya, along with the creation of two deputy prime ministers...
was passed.
Time line and Bills Passed
- April 21, 2009 - Parliament re-opens. An impasse between the President and the Prime Minister occurred when both presented the Speaker with letters appointing their respective preferred nominees for the position of Leader of Government Business (The Chair of the House Business Committee). The Speaker finally ruled and temporarily appointed himself as the Chair while the impasse is resolved with Odinga withdrawing from the House Business Committee in odds for Kibaki's appointee, Kalonzo MusyokaKalonzo MusyokaStephen Kalonzo Musyoka is a Kenyan politician, currently serving as Vice President of Kenya. Musyoka served in the government under President Daniel arap Moi and was Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1993 until 1998; subsequently, under President Mwai Kibaki, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs...
, to be confirmed leader of Government business. - April 30, 2009 - Parliament approved the list of the IIEC (Interim Independent Electoral Commission of KenyaInterim Independent Electoral Commission of KenyaThe Interim Independent Electoral Commission of Kenya was set up on May 7, 2009. The commission was set up to replace the previously disbanded Electoral Commission of Kenya that was widely blamed for the election violence after the Kenyan general election, 2007...
) that was recommended as a stop gap electoral commission, by the Kriegler Commission. - May 7, 2009 - Parliament approved the list of the IIBRC (Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission of KenyaInterim Independent Boundaries Review Commission of KenyaThe Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission of Kenya or IIBRC was setup by an Act of Parliament on May 12, 2009. They were charged with the mandate to review the existing constituency boundaries to reflect geographical size and population....
) that will re-district constituency and district boundaries to be more representative of the population based on current voter registration statistics or the 2009 Census data that was due to be completed in October 2009. However, the controversy that broke out about their recommendations, means that issues about fairness are still to be resolved. On the same day, President Kibaki assented the bill that created the IIEC and formally appointed the IIEC commissioners. - May 12, 2009 - President Kibaki assented the bill that created the IIBRC and officially appointed the list of commissioners approved by parliament. * April 7, 2010 - House passes draft of the proposed constitution of Kenya, prepared by Committee of Experts without any amendments, paving way for a constitutional referendum in whichwas held in August 2010 * August 27, 2011 - The House passes a record 16 bills in one week, all concerning implementation of the new constitution to keep up with deadlines set out in the fifth schedule of the new constitution. Among them were key bills setting up an Independent Elections and Boundary Review Commission and a revamped Anti-Corruption Commission investigation body.