Speaker Muturi orders anti-doping bill to be discussed

National Assembly Speaker, Justin Muturi, has ordered the Departmental Committee of Labour and Social Welfare to convene on Thursday to discuss fast tracking the Anti-Doping Bill in Parliament and present a report to the house without delay.

Passing of an effective anti-doping legislation is one of the key conditions set by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for Kenya to avoid an international competition ban that would cover the summer Rio 2016 Olympics Games in Brazil with the April 5 extended deadline for compliance fast approaching.

Muturi was responding to a point of order raised by Cherangany Member of Parliament (MP) and 2012 Boston Marathon champion, Wesley Korir, who requested the house to invoke Standing Order number one to allow the proposed law to be published without further delay during the Tuesday afternoon sitting.

“A couple of weeks ago, I brought concern to this floor of the house on the issues of anti-doping in the country. I have appeared three times before the Committee of Labour and there have never been quorum.

“We haven’t moved anywhere and yet Mr. Speaker we have less than three weeks before the deadline we have been given by WADA to pass legislation to allow this country to take part in the Olympics,” the first-term legislator told the house.

“I would really like to urge you to revoke Standing Order number one and allow the bill to be published so that we can save this country from shame and be able to give young men and women with the ambition to run in the Olympics to be able to participate this year and give this country what has raised the flag everywhere in the world,” Korir urged.

In castigating the Committee chaired by Matungu MP, David Were who was not in the house alongside his vice-chair, Tia Galgalo, Muturi questioned their commitment on ensuring the country did not face ignominy of an international ban.

“This is a very serious indictment. The Honourable Korir has been raising this issue of Anti-Doping legislation and when he reports he has appeared before the committee three times and the committee is not able to raise quorum.

“Both the chair and vice-chair as evidence of what Honourable Korir is saying, are absent even now. Is that to say the committee has ceased to operate? In which case, we can order its reconstitution,” Muturi said amid calls of ‘yes’ from MPs present.

“It is important to the country,” the Speaker termed the proposed law to tackle the escalating doping problem that has seen 43 Kenyan athletes banned for illegal substance use.

A member of the committee, Cornelius Serem, stood to defend the body of complacency as he pledged to ensure it would be convened on Thursday.

“I do support the anti-doping legislation that is coming up and I’ve always supported his proposal since most of the athletes participating in this sport in this country come from my backyard.

“When I hear the issue of anti-doping is becoming a problem in this country, I support putting measures in place to make sure our boys and girls with careers in sport are taken care of,” Serem underscored before he was ordered to ‘fish out the chair and vice-chair wherever they may be hiding’ by the Speaker.

“I will work hard to make sure there are in the house since this issue is urgent,” he promised.

-Ball in your court-

“The ball is in your court. You must ensure that committee sits Thursday this week, at 11am and listen to the views that Honourable Wesley Korir and other stakeholders like himself may have so that we can have that legislative proposal fast tracked.

“The country and indeed the youth of this country, the athletes run the risk of being banned from participating in international competition,” Muturi ordered the committee.

“If the committee does not sit, then we will make other orders regarding to the composition of that committee,” the speaker warned.

The Government, through the newly formed Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya, is due to bring the proposed law that is in its seventh draft to the floor of the house once it is cleared by WADA, Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Arts and Culture, Dr. Hassan Wario, declared at Sunday’s First Lady Half Marathon.

Speaking last week, Korir and fellow PAAK top official and former world marathon record holder, Wilson Kipsang, said the proposed bill was deficient of WADA requirements, claimed vehemently denied by Wario as Kenya races against time to be compliant with the Code.

Kenya missed the initial February 11 deadline to conform with the world-anti doping body and athletics governing the IAAF requirements but was granted extension after the Sports Ministry cited the long process of enacting legislation in the country that includes any proposed law to be discussed by stakeholders before it gets to parliament as outlined in the country’s Constitution of 2010.

STANDING ORDER ONE

“In all cases where matters are not expressly provided for by these Standing Orders or by other Orders of the House, any procedural question shall be decided by the Speaker.

“(2) The decisions made in paragraph (1) shall be based on the Constitution of Kenya, statute law and the usages, forms, precedents, customs, procedures and traditions of the Parliament of Kenya and other jurisdictions to the extent that these are applicable to Kenya.”