Ministers to field questions from MPs after change of rules

A joint session of Parliament and the Senate during an address by President Uhuru Kenyatta to both houses on March 27, 2014. Cabinet secretaries will now come to the National Assembly every Tuesday to face MPs following changes to Standing Orders. PHOTO | BILLY MUTAI | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• Following changes to the Standing Orders adopted Thursday afternoon, the Procedure and House Rules Committee says a maximum of three Cabinet secretaries will be invited at any one time.
• The National Assembly is scheduled to take a break and resume on Tuesday, October 14, the first day the Cabinet secretaries will meet MPs.
• Whenever an MP wants a pressing matter addressed, the query is taken up by the relevant departmental committee, who gets the Cabinet secretary to attend a meeting and present the matter.

By JOHN NGIRACHU
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By CAROLINE WAFULA
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The National Assembly has created a committee, composed of all MPs, that will make it possible for Cabinet secretaries to attend Parliament and answer questions directly from legislators.

Named the Committee on General Oversight and headed by Speaker Justin Muturi, the committee will meet every Tuesday from 10am to 12.30pm with the sole purpose of meeting Cabinet secretaries.

The Procedure and House Rules Committee set the quorum at 16 members, which is deliberately low enough to make it possible for meetings to start even if there is only a handful of the 349 MPs present.

(Read: Plan to call CSs in House hits a snag)

Following changes to the Standing Orders adopted Thursday afternoon, the Procedure and House Rules Committee says a maximum of three Cabinet secretaries would be invited at any one time.

ADOPTED FROM FRANCE

The National Assembly is scheduled to take a break and resume on Tuesday, October 14, the first day the Cabinet secretaries will meet MPs.

The idea was reported to have been borrowed from France.

Majority Leader Aden Duale and the Speaker are responsible for coming up with the agenda for discussion in the meetings with the Cabinet secretaries.

This means that Mr Duale and Mr Muturi will have a powerful hand in determining which Cabinet secretary gets to be questioned by the MPs in the same manner as ministers in previous Parliaments.

Cabinet secretaries are not MPs and the lawmakers have found it difficult to get the Executive to answer their queries in the fashion of Parliament in the past.

SHOWS OF ANGER

Whenever an MP wants a pressing matter addressed, the query is taken up by the relevant departmental committee, who gets the Cabinet secretary to attend a meeting and present the matter.

The head of the committee then takes the response to the House and cannot usually respond when MPs question the veracity of the answer, sparking shows of anger during Statement Hour, which the Speaker refers to as "Exhibition Hour."

A previous attempt to create what was called "Cabinet Secretaries Reporting Time" failed when MPs were told it was not in line with the Constitution.

Under the new rules, MPs will be required to submit written questions at least 10 days before the day on which they want the Cabinet secretary to appear.

Those who want to ask a question judged to be urgent and that relates to important issues of concern to the people will be required to submit the question at least 24 hours before Tuesday.