National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula was forced to step in and contain the excitement of DCP-affiliated Members of Parliament during the swearing-in of Ol Kalou MP Sammy Douglas Waweru.
When Sammy Douglas walked into the House on Tuesday, July 28, accompanied by Kipipiri MP Wanjiku Muhia, the pro-DCP MPs broke out in cheers.
The MPs, who had donned green suits for gentlemen and green skirt suits for the ladies, began celebrations even before Wetang'ula administered the oath of office to the new Member.
The Speaker briefly stopped the process to call the House to order, noting that celebrations would not be allowed inside the National Assembly.
"Order, Honourable Members. You know that when you are swearing in your colleague, it is done in absolute silence. You can celebrate thereafter, and the celebration will be in the garden out there, not on the floor of the house," he stated.
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Wetang'ula also clamped down on DCP-affiliated Senators, who were present for the swearing-in ceremony, for breaching Parliamentary rules.
This is after a Senator was spotted sitting on a seat reserved for Deputy President Kithure Kindiki in the Speaker's gallery. Consequently, he ordered the Sergeant at Arms to remove the Senator.
"Those Senators sitting in the gallery, will you vacate the Deputy President's seat? I allowed you to the Speaker's row and not to sit on the Deputy President's seat.
"Sergeant-at-Arms, you know the rules of the House; you don't need the Speaker to pronounce himself on this for you to enforce the rules. Nobody, and I mean nobody, can take that seat except the Deputy President," Wetangula ruled.
When the House settled, the Ol Kalou MP took his oath of office and signed the document. He was then presented with several books, including the Constitution of Kenya.
"Finally, I have taken the Oath of Office to serve the patriotic people of Ol Kalou Constituency. So help me God," the MP wrote.
Earlier, the MP revealed that he had used a matatu to travel to Nairobi for his swearing-in. Photos shared by Ngotho on his social media pages showed him using a matatu alongside other passengers instead of official transport.
The photos attracted attention on social media ahead of the ceremony. His swearing-in comes nearly two weeks after he won the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election held on July 16,
Sammy Douglas garnered 35,440 votes to defeat United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate Samuel Muchina Nyagah, who received 5,450 votes
