Parliament winds up year’s business

The Lower Chamber of Parliament closed business yesterday with the Speaker of Parliament, Rose Mukantabana calling on Lawmakers to spend their holiday festivities with the less previledged. Parliament closes after an extra-ordinary session that opened on December 14. “The year has come to the end but we all know that there are sections of Rwandans like opharns and other less previledged people who will not be enjoying it. I would like to take this opportunity to ask you to share the little that you have to make a better day for everyone. That’s what leaders do, they share with the led,” she said. Both Chambers of Parliament finalized their third term of 2009 on December 4 but were back in office for the last two weeks to finalise pending bills before the year ends. MPs revised the preamble documents of several bills that endorse financial grants for the improvement of social welfare and sanitation in different parts of the country. A bill on the compensation of families of victims who lost their lives or property to stray animals from national parks was also on the agenda. Under this bill the government plans to set up a special guarantee fund from which people will be compensated on the losses caused by wild animals. It will also demarcate the new boundaries of Akagera National Park. The Lower Chamber also ended its extraordinary session by endorsing final law governing the National Police as well as the Penal Code. “We have proved that we can achieve whatever we put our hearts to. What was worrying most people was the draft penal code because of its size, but thankfully we were able to complete it in 15 days as planned,” Mukantabana said. Ends