Nation Media Group The raid on Parliament that happened concurrently with the damage of some lawmakers’ properties yesterday was an unprecedented occurrence in Kenya’s history. One has to wind the clock back 117 years to the time when Kenya’s Parliament started to have a feel of how revered the legislative premises was designed to be. It was then called the Legislative Council, or LegCo, and it was along what is known as Haile Selassie Avenue today.
When it was started, it adopted the model of the British legislative chambers. “The structure of the legislative building, the decorum and etiquette, dress code of the Speaker and that of the members, the procedure of the House replicated those of the House of Commons,” says a Parliament document detailing its history. It is the August (dignified and noble) House.
A citadel of decorum. A protected space whose chambers are only seen through video cameras controlled by Parliamentary staff. A place occupied by members who have to be addressed by the words “The Honourable”.
A place whose chambers cartoonists and satirists are not allowed to portray. However, on Tuesday, the House that began its sittings in August 1907 was raided by riotous “commoners” far different from the “Commons” whose mannerisms informed its conduct. Youths protesting the passage of the Finance Bill had little regard for decorum as they stormed the establishment where people are not allowed to enter without adhering to a dress code.
As this .