Students visiting Parliament on educational tours have been urged to turn the opportunity into a learning experience that complements what they are taught in class.
Bondo MP Gideon Ochanda made the call on Wednesday while welcoming students from Usenge High School, who had travelled from his constituency in Siaya County for the visit.
Ochanda described the tour as a rare privilege, noting that only a handful of schools from his constituency had visited Parliament during his years as an MP.
“It’s a privilege; it’s an opportunity that many others don’t have. Hundreds of schools are unable to get here. While this is happening today, for the number of years that I have been a Member of Parliament, only three schools from my entire constituency have managed to get here.”
Students visit Parliament to learn about the legislative process, understand governance and experience civic education firsthand.
The tours also connect classroom lessons to real-world national leadership as learners observe proceedings in the National Assembly and Senate, including debates on bills, motions and national policies from the public galleries.
The visits can also turn abstract lessons in civics and government into tangible experiences, while giving learners an opportunity to interact with their representatives and parliamentary staff, ask questions and understand their roles in governance.
Ochanda said the National Assembly should be viewed as a learning laboratory by students pursuing social studies and humanities.
“The students need to realise that this is a serious privilege that they have and when they are visiting this House, there are things that they really need to pick and get back home with,” he said.
He likened the National Assembly to the laboratories used by students pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.
He said students taking humanities and social sciences should similarly regard Parliament as a practical learning environment.
“It’s an advantage that many schools don’t have. Out of my 48 or so schools, only three for over 10 years have at least managed to get here. For those who are doing History and Government, this is your lab,” he added.
Ochanda explained that Parliament provides a practical demonstration of how government operates, with policies, legislation and budget allocation processes debated and decided in the House.
“So, you are in a serious institution, an institution that is a pillar in terms of how governments run.”
Other schools that visited Parliament included Moi Siongoroi Girls from Chepalungu in Bomet county, Mamiloki Primary and Junior School from Mwala, Machakos county, Kakenya High School, St Lukes Catholic School from Kajiado and Mungoni Primary and Junior School from Igambang’ombe in Chuka, Tharaka Nithi county among others.
Kilgoris MP Julius Sunkuli urged students with political and leadership ambitions to make good use of the tour, saying they represent the next generation of leaders.
“One day, one of them might wish to come here, but this is also a place to look at when you want to study government in your studies.”
The students were also encouraged to dream beyond the House, with some MPs saying educational visits to Parliament had helped inspire them to pursue careers in politics and eventually become legislators.
