The leadership of Parliament has planned an elaborate send-off for former president Daniel arap Moi later Monday.
Today is the third and final day for the body of the former president, who served the country between 1978 and 2002, to lie in state in Parliament Buildings.
ELABORATE CEREMONY
The Nation has learnt that Parliament has already designed an elaborate ceremony that will see the former president given a send-off for his long service as an MP.
The details were agreed upon during a meeting of the leadership of both chambers, the military and other security agencies earlier Monday.
“He has been here for the last three days and, as one of our longest serving members, we feel that we should give him an honourable send-off,” one of the leaders of Parliament told the Nation.
The parliamentary leadership has decided to carry out their own send-off after realising that most MPs will not have an opportunity to speak during Tuesday’s national memorial service at Nyayo National Stadium or at Wednesday’s requiem mass at Kabarak University.
TWO HOURS
First, it has been agreed that the special sittings in both Houses will be brief. Instead of the usual four-hour sessions, which usually start at 2.30 pm until 6.30 pm, the sessions for the special sittings will last two hours.
Accordingly, the two sessions must end at 4.30 pm before the military takes the former president’s body back to Lee Funeral Home.
The two Speakers had separately summoned the two Houses for special sittings following the Presidential proclamation of last Tuesday that announced Moi’s death.
The 12th Parliament was to resume normal sittings on Tuesday.
The government has already gazetted the day as a public holiday and the Speakers summoned the Houses to adjust their calendar through a procedural motion and give the members an opportunity to condole with Moi’s family through a public debate.
PUBLIC DEBATE
All MPs have been asked to gather at the National Assembly’s reception area at about 4.45pm to be part of the military procession as the body ends its stay at Parliament.
Whereas in the last two days the procession was for the clergy and military, Monday’s events will include the leadership of both Houses and the MPs.
Sergeants-at-arms from both Houses, who will wear their ceremonial uniforms of Green (National Assembly) and Navy Blue (Senate), will lead the parliamentary procession.
CEREMONIAL REGALIA
Just behind them will be Speakers Justin Muturi and Kenneth Lusaka. They, too, will be resplendent in their ceremonial regalia.
Coming after the speakers will be their deputies Moses Cheboi (National Assembly) and Kithure Kindiki (Senate), then leaders of majority and their deputies and leaders of minority and their deputies in that order
Once the casket is placed on the gun carriage for the journey to Lee Funeral Home, all the MPs will wave to the coffin as their final bye to a man who started off as a member of the Legislative Council in 1955.