A promise to uphold dignity of the House

This is not the first time that Mr Justin Bedan Njoka Muturi, a former Member of Parliament for Siakago constituency is vying for the post of the Speaker of the National Assembly.

In January 2008, he expressed his intention to vie for the position on a PNU ticket, but he later withdrew from the race to support PNU’s candidate Mr Francis Ole Kaparo who lost to Mr Kenneth Marende.

Mr Muturi was first elected to Parliament in 1999 on a Kanu ticket, a party he actively supported and engaged in its activities. His debut in Parliament followed a by-election that was held in September of 1999 following the death of the area MP Mr Silas Ita.

He was the chairman of the Kanu parliamentary group serving as the chief whip during his term in Parliament.

He successfully defended the seat on a Kanu ticket in the 2002 General Election, but lost it to Mr Lenny Kivuti, his political archival in the 2007 election. Mr Kivuti was elected to Parliament in the 2007 General Election on a Safina party ticket.

Mr Muturi, a Jubilee official was a candidate for the Mbeere North parliamentary seat (formerly Siakago) on a TNA ticket in the recently held General Election but lost in the race to Mr Charles Muriuki Njagagua ,who contested on an Alliance Party of Kenya party ticket.

A lawyer who holds an LL.B degree from the University of Nairobi, Mr Muturi was the opposition chief whip in Parliament from 2003 to 2007 when he lost to Mr Kivuti.

He served as the chairman of the Public Investments Committee during the same period. He was also a member of the parliamentary select committee on the constitutional review from 1999 to 2004.

He was elected Kanu National Organising Secretary in Nov 2008 and was the PNU constitution committee chairman during the national constitutional talks from 2008-2010.

In April, 2011, he was appointed the chairman of the Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD), a civil society group that deals with democracy issues in multi-party politics.

Mr Muturi was formerly a judiciary employee serving as a principal magistrate between 1982 and 1997 before retiring from judicial service. He also served as the chairman the Judges and Magistrates Association during the time.

He was a member of the Africa Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption, Global Organisation of Parliamentarians Against Corruption and the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank New Speaker of the National Assembly Justin Muturi took oath of office yesterday promising to discharge his duties with fairness and impartiality.

The House Speaker who succeeds Mr Kenneth Marende started off by declaring that there is little time for any celebrations.

“We have to embark on the arduous tasks ahead of us as one of the Houses of Parliament immediately,” he said spelling out the next phases of crucial legislative House business that the Eleventh Parliament will be required to attend to.

The Speaker mentioned Phases Two and Three of the Constitution implementation process as the urgent matters before the House.

He said Phase Two involves the passage of the balance of the governance law while Phase Three, which he said was the most crucial and urgent, is the passage of the laws that will set pace for sustained economic growth and development of our beloved nation.

“As your Speaker, I will do all what is lawfully and humanly possible to facilitate this process. This way, without doubt, plenty will be found within our boarders,” he pledged.

The new Speaker who was the Jubilee candidate for the position lauded his predecessor’s work noting that he is aware of the heightened expectations of the membership of the new House.

“I will not let you down,” he said, promising to serve selflessly in his new capacity.

Mr Muturi undertook to work closely with the Senate Speaker to facilitate smooth running of the affairs of Parliament and the Executive, noting that it is a crucial requirement in bicameralism, especially in the initial steps of a nascent presidential system of government.

“The complexities of managing processes in a bicameral legislature present new but exciting challenges. I see it as a unique opportunity for us to do things in a different yet efficient manner,” he stated in his acceptance speech after election that saw him garner 219 votes against Mr Marende’s 129.

He promised to defend and uphold the dignity of the House.