Plan to call Cabinet Secretaries in House hits a snag
What you need to know:
- Without an inquiry from the MPs on why the CS Question Time did not take place, the House leadership was not prompted to give an explanation.
- A senior member of the House told the Nation on Wednesday evening that the matter was still the subject of consultations between concerned leaders.
MPs’ plan to have Cabinet Secretaries take questions and give explanations in the House appeared to have hit a snag on Wednesday.
Without an inquiry from the MPs on why the CS Question Time did not take place, the House leadership was not prompted to give an explanation.
It is understood that the Attorney-General authored an opinion saying the principle of separation of powers could not allow CSs to attend House sittings.
A senior member of the House told the Nation on Wednesday evening that the matter was still the subject of consultations between concerned leaders.
“The CSs can either come to the plenary or the whole House can turn itself into a committee. We are looking into these two options,” he said.
The issue is being tackled by the Procedure and House Rules Committee, the Speaker and the Majority Leader who are reported to be preparing the ground for the CSs to meet MPs and answer questions directly.
Two weeks ago, Majority Leader Aden Duale informed his colleagues that the first batch of requests for replies from the CSs would start on Wednesday after the resumption of the House from a 10-day break.
