Editor's Review

MPs were also instructed to ensure that the constituency offices and equipment are insured. 

The National Assembly (NA) has announced that it will use constituency offices as venues for public participation going forward.

Speaking during a retreat of the NA leadership, the NA Clerk Samuel Njoroge highlighted that the venues will help the House when collecting views of Kenyans regarding various legislative proposals.

Njoroge explained that public participation was important to the work MPs do and also helps promote democracy in the country.

“In an effort to ensure that the public participation was effective and meets the laid down regulations, the National Assembly will use constituency offices for public participation exercises,” he stated.

File image of National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula.
On his part, Speaker Moses Wetangula detailed that there was a proposed law on public participation that would give guidelines for how the exercise would be conducted.

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He added that the proposed law would also address the legal questions that have been raised over the exercise in recent months.

“The proposed Bill that is before the Attorney General will seal all the loopholes in the public participation that have been causing confusion in our courts whenever matters challenging the exercise are before the Judiciary," the Speaker remarked.

On the other hand, MPs were instructed to ensure that the constituency offices are insured. The directive from the clerk emanated from the fire incident at Parliament on June 25 during the Gen Z protests.

“Members are aware that the Parliamentary Service Commission has not spent any single cent for repairs of damages worth millions of shillings caused by protesting youths who invaded Parliament," the Clerk stated.

"The exercise was accomplished by the insurance. The same should happen to equipment at constituency offices.”