House goes into closed session to discuss Shabaab

Kenya’s Parliament has gone into a private session to deliberate on the military operation in Somalia.

MPs unanimously voted to have all strangers- anybody that is not one of them- withdraw from the chambers at 3.55 pm to receive a statement on the security situation on the Kenya-Somalia border.

The presentation of the statement by Prime Minister Raila Odinga and the subsequent questions by MPs was deemed sensitive enough to warrant locking out the public.

This also meant that the live transmission of proceedings was interrupted.

The proposal to hold the session in camera was made by Ikolomani MP Boni Khalwale, and it was unanimously approved when Speaker Kenneth Marende posed the question.

Members of the public and the media are normally locked out of committee meetings where sensitive matters are discussed but this is the first time the meetings in the chamber have been held in camera.

It is however provided for in the Standing Orders- the rules under which the affairs of Parliament are managed.

The relevant Article 214 says: If at any sitting of the House or in a Committee of the whole House any Member shall move that strangers be ordered to withdraw, the Speaker or the Chairperson shall forthwith put the question, no amendment, adjournment or debate being allowed and upon such question being resolved in the affirmative, all strangers shall be ordered to withdraw from the Chamber.