The Centre for Parliamentary Studies and Training (CPST) Board Chairperson has expressed the Centre’s interest in exploring areas of collaboration and exchange of best parliamentary practices with the Canada’s House of Commons, in a move geared towards enhancing the capacity of Members of Parliament and Parliamentary staff.
Speaking when she led Board Members in receiving the Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons Rt. Hon. Gregory Fergus on April 4, Hon. Ameso noted that strong and cordialities with the Canadian parliament are crucial for bolstering global democracy, good governance, peace, and security. “We would appreciate a structured process of engagement with the House of Commons for our Members whenever they attend the annual McGill parliamentary programme”, she told the delegation.
She further called for the Canadian Government’s intervention in making visa issuance for legislators and staff attending those programs easier, noting that hurdles towards visa processing had at times stood in the way of effective planning for the program. “We would be glad if the process of visa issuance can be made easier. Last year the visas were issued just a few days to the travel which makes it very difficult to plan”, she noted.
Speaker Fergus was in the country for a four-day visit to the Parliament of Kenya, where he held talks with the Speaker of the National Assembly the Rt. Hon. Moses Wetang’ula and other Members of the National Assembly leadership.
The CPST intends to formally collaborate with the Parliamentary Centre in Ottawa Canada through the Africa Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA) to implement the ILGRP project which aims at ensuring that both houses of Parliament through Parliamentary Service
Commission of Kenya implement policies that are gender responsive. Some notable projects that the CPST and the CPST have undertaken include: staff training programs, curriculum development, continuous capacity building programs such as the annual training of trainers (ToT) and joint benchmark visits that enrich both institutions. While assuring the CPST of the Canada’s willingness to collaborate with the Centre, Speaker Fergus acknowledged that indeed there is a lot that both Parliaments can learn from each other. To nav i g a t e t h e issues of gender responsiveness, Speaker Fergus invited the CPST Board Members to always ask the question “Who is not at the table,” arguing that it is one of the ways to include everyone. Accompanying Fergus was Christopher Thornley, the Canadian High Commissioner, his Deputy, Richard Cannings (MP), Arielle Kayabaga, and Alexiand Brunelle-Duceppe (MP).
The delegation also got an opportunity to visit the ongoing construction of the new CPST Complex in Karen. Present during this visit was Parliamentary Service Commission Vice-chair, Sen. Joyce Korir, CPST Board Members Hon. Faith Gitau, Hon. Mishi Mboko, Hon.Patrick Makau, the Director General, Parliamentary Joint Services, Mr. Clement Nyandiere, the National Assembly Deputy Clerk, Mrs. Serah Kioko and the Executive Director CPST, Prof Nyokabi Kamau.
