Kenya's Speaker of the National Assembly is asking China to support his plan to go paperless, seeking support from Beijing for a digital programme.
Speaker Moses Wetangu'la , who also chairs the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC), made the formal request to the Chinese government during a meeting with the new Chinese ambassador to Kenya, Guo Haiyan.
Parliament, which has two Houses; the senate and the National Assembly, has already been adapting to technology, seeing legislators vote electronically and access draft laws and motions in electronic format.
But the Chinese request could offer both sides a chance to strengthen relations. China had already offered to build the headquatres of Kenya’s Foreign Affairs ministry, a project that could kick off anytime.
Wetang’ula said that parliament should not be left behind in the digital transformation and said a Chinese support would go a long way in ensuring parliament effectively carries out its duties by improving efficiency, record-keeping, and enhancing public engagement.
"Digitisation of parliamentary processes is one area where we can work closely. Public engagement and record-keeping can greatly benefit from enhanced technology,” stated the Speaker.
The Chines diplomat paid him a courtesy call in Nairobi where a proposal to enhance inter-parliamentary ties between the two countries was the key highlight.
For China, however, soft power moves such as building offices, donating technology and training government technocrats have become a tool to penetrate the African continent.
The Chinese already built the headquatres of the African Union, the national parliament buildings of Zimbabwe and Cameroon and have launched projects to put up modern headquatres for regional blocs like Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad), and the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas).
While acknowledging China’s pivotal role in the development of Kenya, particularly infrastructure and technology transfer, Wetang’ula called for reinforced ties between Kenya’s parliament and the Central People's Congress in China.
“We must strengthen the parliamentary friendship group between the Central People's Congress and our Parliament,” he affirmed.
“This partnership can facilitate collaboration in areas such as legislative training, technological improvements, and digital transformation and facilitate our quest to have a paperless parliament.”
Wetang’ula used the occasion to express Kenya’s stand for One-China policy, an age-old stance to regard Taiwan as part of China as one
A Kenya-China Parliamentary Friendship Group is supposed to promote legislative exchanges and capacity building programmes.
Ms Guo said she will support continued engagement regarding parliamentary exchanges “through workshops, leadership training, and digital governance initiatives."
The Chinese have continued to support other cultural programmes in the country, even when at times it was controversial.
"The expansion of Confucius Institutes and Mandarin language training will equip our young people with skills needed in today’s global economy, especially as Chinese companies continue to expand their presence in Africa," stated Wetang’ula.
If it comes to pass, it will not be the first time the parliament of Kenya is receiving digital and technological support from China as it has been a beneficiary of the same in the past.
In 2019, the Chinese Government was left in consternation after a consignment of laptops and projectors landed in parliament empty.
“We were shocked to be notified by the National Assembly that when the container containing laptops and projectors arrived in Parliament on Tuesday, July 30, and was opened by the Assembly officials, it was empty,” read a statement by the Chinese Embassy in nairobi at the time.
The gift of friendship, according to the Chinese embassy, was part of a pledge by China’s NPC Standing Committee Vice Chairperson, Cao Jianming following his earlier visit to Kenya.
The clerk of the National Assembly at that time, Michael Sialai said the container which was termed ‘diplomatic goods’ was opened in the presence of senior officials just to be found with nothing inside.
