The National Assembly is set to officially commence using Swahili in its sessions every Thursday.
The Swahili sessions will begin after President Uhuru Kenyatta unveils new parliamentary rules today after issuing the State of the Nation Address.
After his address, President Kenyatta is expected to launch the bilingual version of the National Assembly Standing Orders.
According to National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, Parliament will promote national heritage by using Swahili in its sessions.
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He further noted that going forward, each member will be required to have both versions of the standing orders.
“What we have done in the initial stages is to relax the rules a little bit so that members can mix Kiswahili with English when contributing,” he said as quoted by Nation.
The launch of the Swahili standing orders known as “Kanuni za Kudumu za Bunge la Taifa” comes after the National Assembly passed the third report of the Procedure and House Rules Committee on October 29, 2019.
In the past, Kenyans have been entertained by several legislators who struggled speaking in Swahili.
All eyes are now on the August House to see how the legislators will fair especially those that have struggled previously.
