Ruto apologises for breaking Parliament traditions
On Tuesday, President William Ruto had to apologise for breaking Parliamentary traditions.
This occurred during the official opening of the second session of the East Africa Legislative Assembly in Nairobi.
Ruto riled up the assembly by revealing that when Speaker Ntakirutimana addressed the assembly, he ended up clapping, which is against the Speaker’s rules.
“When it was time to applause I found myself clapping and I know that is not the tradition in Parliament. I had to remind myself,” Ruto said.
President Ruto had been asked by EALA Speaker Joseph Ntakirutimana to deliver his opening speech when he unexpectedly issued an apology.
“Mr Speaker, Let me apologise because I have been away from Parliament, for now, more than 10 years and I found myself doing the wrong things,” he said.
Members of the National Assembly, Senate, and EALA do not clap while applauding speeches, statements, or debates.
Instead, they stamped their feet.
Ruto was first elected to Parliament in 1997, representing Eldoret North.
The Head of State also used the opportunity to welcome EALA members to the nation’s capital.
“Let me first take this opportunity on behalf of the government and people of Kenya to welcome members of EALA to Nairobi. It is my wish that you will enjoy the liberations in Nairobi and also have time to enjoy Kenya,” Ruto said.
The 63-member states assembly will meet at the Parliament Buildings until March, both as a whole house and in committees.
EALA speaker Joseph Ntakirutimana told a press conference at Parliament Buildings in Nairobi on Monday that the Assembly’s schedule is jam-packed during the country’s three-week special sitting.
“We have different reports and Bills that we will be considering in our sessions here in the country which mainly involve oversight of different partner states,” Ntakirutimana said.
The committee meetings, which began on Monday, will include consideration of seven reports on the oversight of various partner states in areas such as transport and trade.
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Ruto apologises for breaking Parliament traditions
