Speakers and Tenures from 1948
Presiding in the Legco 17 August 1907 to 7 June 1963 President/Speaker Governors
Tenure Hon. Justice William K. Horne
17 August 1907-20 August 1948 20 August 1948-1955
Hon. Sir Frederick F.W Cavendish-Bentinck 25 October 1955-1960 Hon. Sir Humphrey Slade
12 October 1960 - 6 February 1970
Presiding in Bicameral Parliament 7 June 1963 to 6 December 1967 The House of Representatives (Lower House), 7 June 1963 - 6 February 1970 Speakers and Deputy Speakers Tenure Sir Humphrey Slade - Speaker
7 June 1963 - 6 February 1970
Hon. Firtzeal Remedos Santena De Souza 7 June 1963 - 6 February 1970. Deputy Speaker
The Senate (Lower House), 7 June 1963 - 6 December 1967 President/Speaker
Tenure Sen. the Hon.Timothy Chitasi 7 June 1963 - 6 December 1967
Muinga Chokwe - President Sen. the Hon. John Kibaso –Deputy President 7 June 1963 - 6 December 1967
(ii) The Daniel arap Moi era – 22 August 1978-30 December 2002
(iii) The Mwai Kibaki era – 30 December 2002 to present.
There have been nine Parliaments constituted upon regular general elections held as per the constitution since the first general elections held from 18-25 May 1963.
The Kenyatta era - 1 June 1963 to 22 August 1978
The main benchmarks of this era were:
The first Parliament: 11 June1963 to 7 November 1969 The first Parliament began on 11 June 1963, sitting as dejure multi- party with three major parties and at dissolution was de facto mono-party with only the Kenya African National Union (KANU). In November of the same year,KADU voluntarily dis- solved and joined KANU. On 12 December 1964:
(a) Republican constitution promulgated
(b) Mzee Jomo Kenyatta becomes first President and Commander- in-Chief of the armed forces. On 14 April 1966:
(a) the first Vice President, Hon. Jaramogi Oginga Odinga resigned from KANU and gov ernment; an opposition party – Kenya Peoples Union (KPU) is formed; which in the ensuing
“Little General Election” wins nine of the 29 seats;
(b) Constitution amended to require a Member resigning a seat to seek fresh mandate at a by-election
(c) 3 May 1966 - Mr Joseph Anthony Zusarte Murumbi is appointed the second Vice President, serving till his resignation in December 1966 On 3 January 1967:
(a) Daniel Toroitich arap Moi is appointed the third Vice President
(b) August 1967 - the constitution is amended to amalgamate the two chambers into a unicameral National Assembly
(c) 6 December 1967 - the amalga mated House of Representatives and the Senate sits for the first time as a unicameral National Assembly of 158 elected and 12 nominated Members;
(d) the five year life of the first Parliament is extended by two years to 1969. The Secretary-General of KANU,
Hon.Thomas Joseph Mboya, is assas- sinated on 5 July 1969 in Nairobi. In August 1969, President
Kenyatta pays an official visit to Nyanza Province while riots erupt in Kisumu. During the same month, the official opposition party KPU is banned and its leaders detained. The first Parliament is dissolved
on 7 November 1969. 356 The Parliamentarian 2008/Issue Four
The third Parliament: 6 November 1974 - 20 September 1979 The main benchmarks include:
(i) Sat through as de facto monopoly (ii) 6 November 1974 - first sitting of the third Parliament;
(iii) 1975 - Kiswahili and English became statutorily the only medium in the House
(iv) 1975 - murder of prominent Member Mr Josiah Mwangi
Kariuki.The Select Committee and the Mwangale Committee is established to investigate
(v) 1975–7 - detention of various persons, among them Members of Parliament
(vi) 15 October 1975 - Deputy Speaker Mr Jean Marie Seroney and Hon. Joseph Martin Shikuku are detained
(vii) 22 August 1978 – death of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta; succeeded by Vice President Hon. Daniel Toroitich arap Moi. The third Parliament was dis- solved on 28 September 1979.
The Arap Moi era – 22 August 1978-30 December 2002
The fourth Parliament: 8: November 1979-22 July 1983
The main benchmarks include:
(i) The fourth Parliament sat partly as de facto a mono party. It was the shortest due to snap general elections
(ii) 9 November 1979 - the first sitting of the fourth Parliament
The second Parliament:6 February 1970-8 September 1974 The main benchmarks include:
(i) Sat through as de facto monopoly (ii) 6 February 1970 - first sitting of the second Parliament;
(iii) First elected woman – Hon. Grace A. Onyango, former Mayor of Kisumu, to represent her province
(iv) 20 March 1970 - private resolution seeking autonomy of Parliament adopted
(v) 1974 - Kiswahili by amendment of the constitution, becomes the only medium of Parliament The second Parliament is issolved on 8 September 1974.
A Historic Timeline
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