Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to probe Parliament chaos

NAIROBI, KENYA: Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) wants to probe Members of Parliament who disrupted the house’s special session on Thursday and bring them to book.

Speaking on Friday in Nairobi, EACC Chairman Mumo Matemu censured the MPs who caused commotion in the National Assembly during the final discussion of the controversial police bill.

“EACC is going to probe conduct of MPs during Thursday’s special sitting on security bill, offenders face risk of losing their seats,” says EACC Chairman Mumo Matemu.

A special session of the National Assembly convened on Thursday to discuss the controversial security bill turned into a theatre of the absurd as MPs engaged in a shouting match.

At one point, Speaker Justin Muturi completely lost control of the House while his deputy Joyce Laboso was splashed with water and driven out of her seat, temporarily seeking refuge in the protective wings of orderlies as order papers were torn and thrown all over the floor of the House.

So heated was the exchange that even after Muturi threatened to expel errant members, he could not remember their names and could be heard loudly enquiring “Order!... Order!... What is the name of that one?”

The parliament however approved the new anti-terrorism laws.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has faced mounting pressure to boost security since a 2013 attack by Somali al Shabaab rebels on a Nairobi mall that killed 67 people. The militant Islamist group killed more than 60 people in two attacks this month.

The new measures will allow suspects to be held without charge for 360 days, up from 90 days, compel landlords to provide information about their tenants and punish media organisations if they print material "likely to cause fear or alarm".