Dress decently, Speaker John Kaguchia tells Nyeri MCAs

Nyeri County Assembly in in a past session. The speaker has told MCAs to dress decently. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Kaguchia was responding to Karatina MCA Watson Mburungo’s concerns that female MCAs were wearing miniskirts during House sittings, and that he and others could not concentrate.

  • The speaker noted that he could not impose strict regulations on the MCAs but asked them to dress decently and adhere to the speaker's rules.

Nyeri County Assembly Speaker John Kaguchia has told ward reps to dress decently to avoid tarnishing the assembly’s reputation.

“This assembly is a House of honour and therefore all members must carry themselves in an honourable manner,” he said on Thursday.

REPUTATION

“The members’ dressing and mannerism during plenary should not bring the reputation of the assembly into disrepute.”

Mr Kaguchia was responding to Karatina MCA Watson Mburungo’s concerns that female MCAs were wearing miniskirts during House sittings, and that he and others could not concentrate.

The speaker noted that he could not impose strict regulations on the MCAs but asked them to dress decently and adhere to the speaker's rules.

“The speaker’s rules that are in place stipulate that no person, even if otherwise qualified, shall be admitted to the speaker's gallery unless he or she is, in the opinion of the Sergeant-at-Arms, properly dressed,” he said.

'HARASSMENT'

Chinga MCA Kirunga Thuku said that following a story published by the Nation, female MCAs were being harassed on social media.

“We should stop delving so much on the dressing issue. I did not see anything wrong with how the women had dressed,” he said.

Mr Mburungo, who was under attack over his remarks, thanked the speaker for addressing the issue.

“It is not every day that you find yourself in the newspapers. Now all eyes are on me,” he said.

COATS, TIES

The speaker clarified that being properly dressed means coats, collars, ties, long trousers, socks and shoes or service uniform.

Citing past ruling by Former National Assembly Francis Ole Kaparo on mode of dressing, the speaker said the county assembly is a replica of the National Assembly.

“Hon Ole Kaparo referred to rule 5 of the speaker’s rules, which provided that members are required not to enter the chamber without being properly dressed,” the speaker told MCAs.

The MCAs will be allowed to access the Chambers with the approval of the Sergeant-at-Arms.