Senate president’s new Parliament benchmark, study tour
MBABANE – Senate President Pastor Lindiwe Dlamini concluded her visit to Rwanda and Kenya where she strengthened bilateral relations between Eswatini and the two countries.
The two countries are members of the East African Community while Eswatini is a part of the Sothern African Development Community (SADC).
Senator Dlamini started a four-day study visit in Rwanda on March 7, 2023 and was welcomed by Senate President Kalinda François Xavier at the Kigali International Airport.
Dlamini interacted with the Rwandan Senate president and his two Vice Presidents Nyirasafari Esperance and Alvera Mukabaramba on ways of enhancing bilateral parliamentary relations.
Senator Xavier said Dlamini’s visit was another testimony of the special relations of a true friendship between the Parliament of Eswatini and his Parliament in Rwanda. He said it was a reminder of the importance of solidarity between the two countries.
EXPECTATION
“The kind of solidarity that gives our respective countries strength and confidence to learn from each other and work together to tackle challenges we face. This is the expectation of the people of the Kingdom of Eswatini as well as the people of Rwanda,” Xavier added.
Senator Dlamini, on the other hand, said Rwanda stood out as one of those countries to have shown Africa that any country can rise above its adversity and overcome all challenges. “From Rwanda, we are learning resilience, you have actually risen above every adversity and stood out to be a beckon of success to which as African countries we are coming to say we want to learn from you,” said Dlamini. She also visited the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies where they shared knowledge and expanded on collaboration between the Parliaments of both countries. Both dignitaries commended the existing good relations between the countries. The local Senate president also paid respects to the victims of genocide against the Tutsi and also witnessed efforts of the ruling party, Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), to stop genocide at the Campaign against Genocide Museum. She further toured precincts of the Parliament and learned about the building’s architectural structure. Dlamini was leading a delegation of the Parliamentary Service Board (PSB) from the Kingdom of Eswatini. The delegation also made a stop in Kenya, where they completed their two-day visit by touring the Kenyan Parliament in which they hailed the East African nation for the vibrancy of its democracy. The purpose of the visit in Kenya was to study Kenya’s parliamentary model, the structure and operations of the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) of that country. The team held meetings with the leadership of the Kenyan Parliament and were taken on a tour around critical infrastructure within the parliamentary square.
The Kingdom of Eswatini is in the process of designing a new Parliament under its Millennium Project which is being executed by the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development.
LEVERAGE
Part of the mission was to look at the architectural design of Kenyan Parliament, facilities offered to Members of Parliament (MPs) so that the delegation could pick some valuable lessons on how to leverage the same in its project of constructing a new Parliament.
Dlamini thanked the Kenya Parliament and its leadership for the warm welcome extended to the team during the benchmarking visit. She told Clerk to the Senate of Kenya, Jeremiah Nyegenye, who is also the Secretary of the PSC, that the team from Eswatini had learnt a lot from the Parliament in Kenya.
“The decision to come to Kenya was one of the best decisions we ever made. We thank you for the excellent hospitality, excellent presentations and we have picked valuable lessons,” she said.
PRESENTATION
The team’s first engagement was a courtesy call to the Speaker of the Kenyan, Senate Amason Kingi, where they were given a presentation on topical and legal issues affecting parliamentary infrastructure and projects. A presentation was also made on the history and characteristics of the Bunge Towers, an ultra-modern office block for Kenyan MPs which is still under construction.
The project, Bunge Towers, was deemed similar to the one initially proposed to be part of the new Parliament in the country. It is, however, worth noting that the MPs houses which were a part of the initial design for the local Parliament were later abandoned. The Bunge Towers in Kenya
is a 28 story building and has 26 comittee rooms with a capacity of hosting 331 MPs. The building costs the Kenyan government almost KSh8 billion (Kenyan currency).
Senate Speaker Kingi thanked the delegation for making Kenya its choice for the benchmarking visit, pointing out that it was a great honour to the people of Kenya. “You could have chosen any other country but you decided on Kenya. Opting to come here is proof of the maturity of our democracy,” said Kingi.
Kingi elaborated on the history underpinning the foundation of Kenyan Senate since the country’s independence in 1963.
Speaker Kingi challenged Senator Dlamini and the team to push for a collaboration between the two Parliaments, arguing that was the only way to solve the challenges facing the common people of both countries. “We need to create a platform for MPs on the continent to engage. such forum shall help us collaborate and foster partnerships that will help MPs as people representatives to have a stronger voice on important matters,” Kingi said.
The Kenyan Senate Speaker added that Africa could achieve more in terms of development through such collaborations of Parliaments. In reiteration, Senator Dlamini, applauded the Kenyan people for conducting a peaceful general election in August 2022, noting that the country was internationally known for its robust accountability and oversight mechanisms. “We applaud you for the strong adherence to the rule of law and democracy,” she explained, adding that the team was in Kenya to share ideas on how to run parliament and how to design a new one, a process already in motion.
The Senate president further explained that they chose to benchmark in Kenya because of the vibrancy of East African country’s democracy and parliamentary debates which, she said, have inspired many across the continent.