Kenyan Lawmakers Join Pan African Parliament

Kenya’s delegation to the Pan-African Parliament joined other legislators at the seat of the continental body in Midrand, South Africa on 10 November 2022 after senators unanimously approved the MPs’ list 2 days earlier on Tuesday.

Sen. Prof Margaret Kamara, Hon. Rahab Mukami, Hon. Kalasinga Majimbo and Hon. Esther Passaris led by Sen. Danson Mungatana will represent Kenya in the African Union’s legislative organ for the next 3 years. Out of the five members, 3 are women evident to the strong recognition in the Kenyan parliament that both male and female legislators can all operate equally. However, the delegation missed a member of the youth and a person with a disability.

“I would like to sincerely pray that in the near future that these kinds of lists that are being considered also put into consideration that they should not only have wording or language that says one shall be a woman, but also that one shall be a member of the youth and that one shall be a person with a disability. So that these committees that are representing us as Africans can holistically and completely represent us and how the future of Africa does really look like,” said Senator Asige Crystal while supporting the motion.

The five Parliamentarians were sworn in as new members of the Pan-African Parliament ahead of the closing ceremony of the first Ordinary Session of the sixth Parliament. The new continental parliamentarians were nominated by their national legislatures following the recent general elections in the Eastern African country, and the opening of the 13th parliament of Kenya in late September.