NEWS EXTRA Kenyan MPs humbled in Rwanda
Story by CYRUS KINYUNGU Publication Date: 09/08/2005 Kenyan MPs inside Parliament. Their Rwandese colleagues use modern technology to conduct business, making operations, efficient and quick. MPs visiting the Rwandese Parliament recently found themselves taking lessons on how to do things briskly, efficiently and in a modern way through the use of technology. Most did not think there was anything Kenya could learn from Rwanda and had gone there to witness the effects of the 1994 genocide in which about 800,000 people were massacred. True, they carried back home lessons on the genocide and why Kenya's stability may be its most vital asset. But when they toured Parliament in Kigali, they thought Kenya's own belongs to the Victorian age. Humbling experience Considering Kenya's superior social economic status at least compared to Rwanda which is recovering from the effects of the genocide the experience was humbling. Immediately they were ushered in, the MPs faced an electronic board which showed how votes in the House were recorded. "The voting here is done electronically," said an excited Mbita MP Otieno Kajwang' immediately he saw the board. Unlike in Kenya where MPs have to stand and move to the closest microphone while addressing the House, in Rwanda the microphones are placed next to the seats. Before the Speaker addressed his Kenyan guests, they had to be guided on how to use microphones and other electronic equipment. "For those who speak Kinyarwanda use channel one, those who speak English Channel Two and those who speak French use channel 3," a voice announced just before the start of the session. Excited MPs As the MPs pulled their chairs closer to their tables to put on the headphones, one could not fail to notice their excitement. When the president of the senate was explaining how the two-chamber Parliament was run in Kinyarwanda, interpretation to English and French was going on simultaneously. "The operations in this Parliament are like those in an international conference," explained Mr Gideon Kanyinamura, a Rwandese MP. The operations of the Parliament were explained on a big white screen rolled from the rooftop of the building to the front, where the chamber's president and Kenya's head of delegation, Mr Mirugi Kariuki, were seated. The information was beamed to the large screen from a laptop computer using a small projector behind the MPs. A technician rolled the programme in tandem with the speed of the presenter. But what surprised the MPs most was learning that every Rwanda member of Parliament had a laptop with Internet connection. They were also amazed to learn that minutes of Cabinet meetings are always posted on the Internet. The whole of Parliament is networked such that MPs can access Internet from any corner of the compound without the need of cables. "Every MP in our Parliament has a laptop and has been trained on how to use it. One can access Internet from any corner of Parliament without connection cables," said Dr Nyramirimo Odette, an MP in the chamber of deputies. The wireless network allows those without access to wired ports access to on-line resources using a wireless network standard, which allows communication between a device such as a laptop and a wireless access point connected to the main network. To access the network you must have a wireless network card for your laptop, which must be compatible with the 802.11b or 802.11g wireless standard. An ID user name and password is required and once the wireless device has been booted and a browser opened, the user is prompted on how to proceed. While in Kenya, MPs have to go for divisions when they disagree on some matters, in Rwanda they just touch a button which determines where their vote goes. The division in the Kenyan chamber goes for close to two hours while their counterparts in Rwanda seal their debates in less than five minutes. "During voting, all the lights in the electronic gadgets on the tables go off so that not even your neighbour may know how you are voting," said Dr Odette. "You will only see numbers in either Yes or No increasing without knowing how individuals voted," she added. The Rwandese Parliament has the highest number of women in the world. The chamber of deputies, which has 80 members, has 24 seats reserved for women. In the House, 53 members are elected, two by the National Youth Council and one by the Federation of the Association of the Disabled besides the 24 women seats two from each province and Kigali city. In the current Parliament, women comprise 48.7 per cent of the members. Mr Kariuki, the Internal Security assistant minister, said there was a lot to learn from the country's Parliament in terms of technology. He said the MPs' experience in the Rwandese Parliament was a great challenge to them and marvelled at the fact that all MPs in the country had access to a laptop connected to the Internet. "The system of governance and technology in Rwanda makes our Parliament look Victorian and archaic," said Mandera Central MP Billow Kerrow. He said a lot of paper was wasted in printing order materials while in Rwanda one only needed to follow proceedings from their laptops. He said their Parliament was more modern and better run than Kenya's. "In their House, which has 80 members, there must always be a quorum of 60 per cent at all times. They take their work more seriously and enjoy more respect and recognition from the public," he added. Justice and Constitutional Affairs assistant minister Njeru Githae said the biggest challenge to Kenyans was Rwanda's technological advancement. "While in Kenya a member has to keep standing to catch the eye of the Speaker, in Rwanda you only have to press a button and he knows you want to speak," he said, adding that the Kenyan Parliament took hours to make decisions due to the voting system, while it only took minutes with the electronic voting in Rwanda. Drinking water "Drinking water is placed at every member's table unlike in Kenya where we have to walk to the dispatch box sometimes disrupting contributions," said Mr Githae, hoping that the planned renovation of Parliament would proceed at a more urgent pace. He denied that he had been against the renovations, saying that he had only been concerned about the cost involved. "Nobody is against the renovation of Parliament. We were just concerned with its cost. The specifications were expensive but the idea was noble," he said. When the Kenyans visited President Paul Kagame in his Kigali office, they were hosted at the Cabinet room where microphones are fixed next to every chair and translation facilities are readily available. President Kagame explained to the MPs that every Cabinet minister had a laptop and had been trained on how to use it. The President told the MPs that minutes of all Cabinet meetings are available on the Internet and there was little paper work in the room since everything was done electronically.
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