Nominated Senator Agnes Zani on Wednesday used a Swahili version of Mr Speaker as 'mzungumzishi' which elicited laughter and mixed reactions in the Senate.
This forced Siaya Senator, James Orengo to step up and elaborate on the word where he said Zani had branded Speaker of the House, Kenneth Lusaka names.
Orengo said the Kiswahili word for Mr Speaker is Bwana Spika and not 'mzungumzishi'.
"Mr Speaker, Nominated Senator (Agnes Zani) is contentiously branding you names that you are 'mzungumzishi', I have checked the Constitution of Kenya from government printers which is written in Kiswahili and I have not seen that name 'mzungumzishi, I have also checked the Kiswahli dictionary (Kamusi), parliement prints for Kiswahili speakers and there is no such like word being used by my sister who is well versed with Kiswahili and I respect her, the right word is Bwana Spika. (Bwana Spika, Seneta maalum, anaendelea kukubandika jina, nakusema ya kwamba wewe ni mzungumzishi'..nimeangalia katiba ya Kenya, kwanza nimeangalia katiba ya Kenya ambayo imeandikwa kwa Kiswahili kutoka kwa government printer na hakuna jina inaitwa...inaitwaje? (turns to the house for the word), tena nimeangalia nakala za bunge kwa wale ambo wanongea kwa Kiswahili, yule ambaye anaketi katika mazungumzo za seneti pamoja na bunge, jina ambalo ni malaaum ni Bwana Spika, nimeangalia tena katika Kamusi. hiyo Kiwahili ya dadangu amabye anajua Kiswahili sana na namheshimu, hakuna jina kama hiyo ambalo linaweza kubandikwa kwa yule ambaye anasimamia mazungumzo za seneti.)," said Orengo as the whole house broke into laughter.
He went further to share with the house that Kiswahili differs from place to place thus a need for the house to stick to the common and accepted version.
"Kiswahili as a language depends on the place, for instance, Pemba and Mombasa got a different version. Maybe the Senator is using Kwale County version of the language, the best word to use in the Senate is 'Bwana Spika (Kiswahili inategemea, waswahili wa Pemba ni tofauti na waswahili wa Mombasa. Sa Kiswahili hicho kinaeza kuwa cha watu wa Kwale, lakini Kiswahili ambayo ni malaamu ambayo inaeza kutumika bunge ama seneti ni Bwana Spika)," noted the Senate Minority Leader.