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The National Assembly has commenced investigations into members attendance in both committees and plenary, leader of Majority Kimani Ichung’wah has said.

In a brief to the House, Ichung’wah said the Liaison committee, which consists of the Deputy Speaker as chairperson and whose mandate is to guide and co-ordinate operations, policies and mandates of all committees, had asked chairs of committees to submit names of members who have not been attending sittings.

While debating a motion that sought to place members in the committee on Members’ Services Facilities, Ichung’wah said it is regrettable that some members have been attending committee sessions to only sign the attendance list and leave.

He also said they had noted that some members only appear in the chamber to key in electronically and leave the House.

“It will not be business as usual. In the Liaison committee, we have agreed that chairs should submit the names of MPs who have not been active,” said Ichung’wah. “We are re-evaluating members’ attendance, how actively they participate in the sittings in the House and in committees. Therefore, members note that your participation in the chamber and committees will be noted.”

Very active

Ichung’wah told the members that they will also be monitoring the most and least active members for accountability purposes.

He said being midway of the current session and owing to the fact that some of the members pleaded with him to have them allocated committees such as Budget and Appropriations Committee (BAC), Transport and Infrastructure, Water and Irrigation, Health, Energy, Finance and Public Accounts Committee (PAC), it is only prudent that they seek to find out how their performance in committees has been.

According to the Standing Orders, every Member has the right to serve in at least one committee of the House.

During the allocation of committee slots in 2022, over 100 MPs expressed interest in BAC yet the Standing Orders provide that it should consist of a chairperson and not more than 26 other members.

More than 78 members of the Majority Kenya Kwanza side had applied to be placed in the transport committee.

Added Ichung’wah: “Most members came to my office to say that they will be included in the Budget committee, in PAC yet some of these members have only attended three sittings. Yet there are members who are not members of this committee and are very active. We need to give them a chance.”

The decision comes a week after Nairobi Woman Rep Esther Passaris raised concern regarding how the Petitions Committee chaired by Kitui East MP Nimrod Mbai has been handling petitions.

She was responding to a petition by the Centre for Accountability, Reform and Democracy regarding delimitation of boundaries. She accused the committee of delaying a decision the matter.

“I seek your indulgence to cause the Chairperson of the Public Petitions Committee to explain why it has inordinately taken long for the Committee to conclude the Petition as required under Standing Order 227(2), and a commitment to this House on when the Report should be expected,” she said.

Speaker Moses Wetang’ula ordered that the chair of the committee tables the report in a week’s time. He directed Deputy Majority Whip Naomi Waqo, who is the Marsabit County Woman Rep, to call the committee to order.

“The Petition has been pending since August last year. It is not the only one. There are many others. I direct you to call that Committee to order,” he said.

This is the not the first time that the committee has been criticised by Wetang’ula. Last August, the Speaker expressed disappointment about regular absence of the committee chair in the House.