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Sorry, no guns inside Parliament, MPs warned


MPs have been warned against entering the House with guns, amid concerns that despite being licensed firearm holders, some of them do not know how to handle the deadly weapons.

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi on Thursday told the lawmakers that entering the chamber with a firearm constitutes gross disorderly conduct, which can result in one being banned from Parliament for a whole year.

Mr Muturi said the matter had been discussed by the House Business Committee, which sets the agenda for the National Assembly, after some MPs voiced their concerns.

SECURITY CHECKS

“Accordingly, I direct sergeants-at-arms, being officers of the House responsible for enforcement of these rules, to strictly undertake stringent security checks as required by the Standing Orders to ensure that no member has access to the chamber before depositing his or her firearm with them,” said the Speaker.

He also directed the Safety and Security Department to ensure that strangers, those who are not members of either House of Parliament, are subjected to thorough security checks before being admitted into the precincts of Parliament.

Mr Muturi also ordered Parliament security personnel not to make it hard for journalists to have access to the premises.

Kisumu West MP Olago Aluoch told the Speaker that he was alarmed by the behaviour of fellow MPs, many of whom are licensed to own firearms.

“My impression is that many of us are not sufficiently trained on how to handle firearms,” he added.

He said he had witnessed incidents at the Kisumu International Airport where their guns went off as they prepared to hand them over to the airline staff for safe transportation to Nairobi.