Kenya Senate Hansard Repository

Overview

The Parliament of Kenya Senate Hansard Repository is a digital reference platform that stores and preserves the official verbatim records of plenary and committee proceedings of Kenya's Senate. Its stated objective is to preserve information on lawmaking for online reference.

History and Background

The Hansard system in Kenya's Senate follows the UK parliamentary model and is governed by Senate Standing Order No. 231, which requires that a verbatim report of all Senate proceedings be published within 48 hours of each sitting. Senators have the right to correct the draft verbatim record of their own contributions, provided the substance of what was said is not altered. The digital repository platform extends the reach of this material to the broader public. The Hansard Department is also the official archivist for the Senate.

Collections and Holdings

The repository is organized into several community collections: House Proceedings (plenary Senate sittings), Committee Proceedings (access restricted to authorized users), Joint Sittings (Senate and National Assembly joint sittings), and Sessional Bound Volumes. Reports are available from the 11th Parliament (2013) through the current parliamentary session.

Access and Usage

The repository is freely accessible online at hansardsn.parliament.go.ke. Electronic versions are published online within 48 hours of each sitting. Certified paper copies of Hansard reports can be obtained from the Hansard Editor. Some committee proceedings are restricted to authorized logged-in users.