Constituency offices will now serve as venues for public participation exercises, according to National Assembly Clerk Samuel Njoroge, who revealed that plans are underway to facilitate this arrangement during a retreat for Members of Parliament in Naivasha. "To enhance the effectiveness of public participation and ensure compliance with established regulations, constituency offices will be utilized for these exercises," Njoroge explained.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, who chaired the retreat, noted that public participation would become more organized following the anticipated enactment of the proposed Public Participation Bill. He urged MPs to expedite the process of passing the bill, which is currently with the Attorney General.
“This bill will close existing gaps in public participation, addressing the ambiguities that often lead to legal challenges in court," Wetang’ula said.
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MPs welcomed the decision to use constituency offices as participation venues, highlighting that this initiative would create employment opportunities for locals, as personnel would be needed to facilitate the process. “We support this decision as it will open up job opportunities for our constituents. The next step is to formalize this through legislation,” said Emuhaya MP Omboko Milemba, also a member of the Speaker’s panel.
Njoroge also instructed MPs to ensure that all office equipment in constituency offices is insured, which would allow for compensation in case of damage due to incidents such as fire or violence. "The Parliamentary Service Commission has not spent on repairs for damages caused by protestors invading Parliament, as this was covered by insurance. We aim to apply the same standard for constituency offices," he stated.
On legislative performance, Njoroge highlighted that a total of 17 Bills had been passed: eight have received assent, three are awaiting assent, six have been forwarded to the Senate, and eight are at the mediation stage. He encouraged MPs to accelerate work on pending legislation.
In a recent public participation exercise held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi regarding the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, the public gathered to share their input.
