No sitting allowance, city’s ward reps told as committee meetings suspended

A session of the Nairobi County Assembly. Committee meetings have been suspended to “punish” members after most of them failed to attend House sessions. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The meetings were suspended to punish the members by ensuring that they do not receive any allowance until September 22, when the House resumes its sessions.
  • Mr Ngondi had, in a brief remark on the floor on Thursday before the House went on recess, directed that there will be no committee hearings as expected.
  • The members claimed they had been demoralised because the Executive had failed to implement Bills and motions they passed.

Nairobi County Assembly committee meetings have been suspended to “punish” members after most of them failed to attend House sessions.

Deputy Speaker Kennedy Ngondi said he had suspended the meetings to punish the members by ensuring that they do not receive any allowance until September 22, when the House resumes its sessions.

Mr Ngondi said most of the ward representatives had been keeping off House business, forcing frequent adjournments.

“Let this serve as a punishment for the MCAs’ failure to attend House preliminaries, which has affected service delivery,” he told journalists in his office.

NO COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Mr Ngondi had, in a brief remark on the floor on Thursday before the House went on recess, directed that there will be no committee hearings as expected.

“I am ready to bite the bullet by stepping on some members’ toes.

“Someone has to take responsibility and bring sanity in the House,” he said.

Committed members had unfairly suffered by not drawing allowances due to lack of quorum because of their colleagues who do not attend the preliminaries, hence occasioning adjournments, he said.

“There are members who never miss out on House business but every time we adjourn because we do not have quorum they miss out on allowances. Let’s all miss them.”

The house is lagging behind in legislation.

It has passed three Bills only in the past 14 months.

The members claimed they had been demoralised because the Executive had failed to implement Bills and motions they passed.

The Deputy Speaker dismissed this argument, saying the mandate of the assembly is representation, legislation and oversight while implementation lies with the Executive.