Keep silent during President Kenyatta State of the Nation address, MPs told

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, President Uhuru Kenyatta and Senate Speaker Ekwee Ethuro leave the National Assembly on March 26, 2015 after the State of the Nation address. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• Speaking at Parliament ahead of the Thursday address, Mr Duale said no lawmaker would make any comment or ask questions when the Head of State is giving the address.
• Under the Constitution, the President must tackle issues around fulfilling Kenya's international obligations, security and observance of integrity sections in the supreme law.

By JEREMIAH KIPLANG'AT
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National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale has asked opposition MPs to keep silent when President Uhuru Kenyatta addresses Parliament on Thursday afternoon,

He warned that anyone who tries to disrupt the occasion would be thrown out.

Mr Duale said Jubilee MPs were ready to protect the dignity of the Presidency and Parliament following rumours that Cord lawmakers were mulling over how to disrupt the address.

He also said the lawmakers were aware of plans to mobilise people to disrupt the event outside Parliament.

Speaking at Parliament ahead of the Thursday address, Mr Duale said no lawmaker would make any comment or ask questions when the Head of State is giving the address.

“Standing Order 24 of both Houses states that the President will be heard in silence. It is our own procedures that the President will be heard in silence. He will be heard with no comments, no questions and we expect ... the two Speakers to ensure that orderly conduct [is] observed,” said Mr Duale.

NO MAJOR INCIDENT

This is Mr Kenyatta's third State of the Nation address. The previous two went without any major incident except last year, when MPs from both sides of the political divide stood up to applaud the President when he gave a road map on how he was going to tackle corruption.

“It is not the President who is asking to come. It is the Constitution. The President is coming courtesy of the Constitution. If he does not come, it will be a breach of the Constitution and that is one good ground for impeachment … the President is not going to Kibera or Garissa," said Mr Duale, accompanied by MPs Johnson Sakaja, James Lomenen and Jude Njomo.

Under the Constitution, the President must tackle issues around fulfilling Kenya's international obligations, security and observance of integrity sections in the supreme law.

Opposition lawmakers are concerned that the President’s address would be little more than outlining the Jubilee agenda instead of giving solutions to the challenges facing the country.

“Our colleagues in Cord have a tendency of dramatising events because of myopic political goals. Today, the President is coming as provided for in the law. We will not allow anybody to disrespect the institution of the Presidency. We will not allow anybody to desecrate the Parliament of Kenya.

"There shall be no embarrassment caused to the President. We are ready to defend the President. Kenyans want to listen to their President,” said Mr Sakaja