Parliament in session. Cabinet secretaries will be expected to appear in
parliament on Tuesdays between 10am and 12.30pm. PHOTO | FILE
By Lynet Igadwah
In Summary
Cabinet secretaries may soon be required inside
Parliament’s chambers to answer questions from Members of Parliament if
President Uhuru Kenyatta signs to law a Bill adopted by the House on
Thursday.
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The Cabinet secretaries will be expected to appear in
parliament on Tuesdays between 10am and 12.30pm, increasing
parliamentary sessions since business on the day normally starts at
2.30pm.
This follows the amendment of the standing orders
to allow members of the Executive and other arms of government a special
sitting to answer questions.
Question Time was dropped after the passage of the
Constitution that replaced the hybrid system of government where
ministers sat in Parliament as elected members of the Legislature.
The presidential system now seeks to recognise the
principle of separation of powers between the Executive and the
Legislature. It excludes Cabinet secretaries and the Attorney General
(who enjoyed ex-officio status under the previous system) from the
Chamber.
The amendments, which were fronted by Kuresoi MP
Moses Cheboi, went through the third reading and now await the assent of
the President.
Most MPs have often complained that it has proved
difficult for questions to be satisfactorily answered because
chairpersons of House committees are the ones who usually deliver
responses after interrogating Cabinet secretaries and cannot be held
accountable.
Queries filed by various MPs or senators are
compiled and forwarded to the relevant departmental House committee,
which summones the respective Cabinet secretary to address the issues.
The MPs who file the questions are allowed to participate in the committee proceeding and seek further clarification
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