Cabinet Secretaries to Face Parliament as MPs Approve Reforms
As of the 23rd of this month, Cabinet Secretaries will be appearing before the National Assembly plenary.
Members of Parliament have approved a change to the standing orders allowing the CSs to appear before the plenary every Wednesday afternoon to answer members’ questions.
The amended standing orders include Standing Order 25A, which now permits a Cabinet Secretary to elaborate on government policy, respond to questions, and provide reports on matters under his or her jurisdiction, as well as other individuals to make submissions or presentations before the House.
In addition, Standing Order 39 has been amended to read as follows: “that the Clerk shall prepare and publish on the parliamentary website a tentative list of Cabinet Secretaries scheduled to reply to questions and provide reports to the House, a weekly program showing the business of the House and a schedule of sittings of the various committees; and shall circulate such programs to Members, State Departments, and the media no later than the Friday of the week preceding.
David Ochieng, a member of the Ugenya constituency who is a member of the Procedure and House Rules Committee, defended the move by asserting that it would result in CSs being more accountable to Kenyans.
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“Every Wednesday, we will convert the House into plenary, where CSs will appear; the majority leader will inform us a week in advance of who will be appearing; and members will have the opportunity to ask supplementary questions,” he explained.
This House will be better off if all members hold CSs accountable, rather than just a few committee members. Ochieng added, “We will also avoid a situation in which CSs shirk their responsibilities.”
While supporting the motion, the leader of the majority, Kimani Ichungwa, remarked that this was not the first time such an attempt had been made, but that this time there was political support from the executive.
Ichungwa remarked that it has been challenging for the chairpersons of committees to answer questions that are not within their purview.
“I would like to state that, as of the 23rd of March, CSs must be prepared to appear before the representatives of the people and answer questions, and the speaker may exercise his discretion to allow as many follow-up questions as possible,” he said.
Despite the move, some legal experts and opposition MPs believe that a referendum is necessary because the move fundamentally alters the structure of the executive by allowing CSs to sit in plenary.
