National Assembly of Kenya
Encyclopedia
The unicameral National Assembly of Kenya
is the country's legislative body.
The current National Assembly has a total of 224 members. 210 members are directly elected in single member constituencies using the simple majority (or First-past-the-post
) system. 12 members are appointed and two members (the Speaker and Attorney-general) are ex-officio.
Committees of the Whole House; Standing Committees; Ad hoc Select Committees; and
Departmental Committees;
Committees of the Whole House
There are three types of Committees of the Whole House.
Committee of the Whole House on Committee stage of a Bill
The Committee of Ways and Means
Confines itself to deliberation on the processes suggested by the Minister for Finance to
raise funds to foot the budget for ‘he particular Fiscal Year. These deliberations are supposed
to last three days.
Committee of Supply
Confines itself to deliberation on the distribution of funds to be raised in the Committee of
Ways and Means to the various Ministries and Departments; this Committee does the
distributions within the twenty allotted days before October 31, each Calendar year.
Standing Committees
May also be known as Sessional Committees, and consist of a minimum of five and a maximum of twenty Members nominated by the House Business Committee and appointed by the House, on a motion moved by the Leader of Government Business. The business carried out by the current eight Standing Committees is either routine and/or in-house. The lifespan of the membership of these Committees coincides with that of a Session. The Committees falling under this category are:-
AD HOC Select Committees
These are appointed by the House as and whenever the need arises to investigate, study
and make recommendations on certain specific matters and issues for consideration by the
House.
[Source:http://bunge.gov.ke]
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
is the country's legislative body.
The current National Assembly has a total of 224 members. 210 members are directly elected in single member constituencies using the simple majority (or First-past-the-post
First-past-the-post
First-past-the-post voting refers to an election won by the candidate with the most votes. The winning potato candidate does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all votes cast.-Overview:...
) system. 12 members are appointed and two members (the Speaker and Attorney-general) are ex-officio.
Committees
The procedure of the House provide for the formation of four kinds of Committees;Committees of the Whole House; Standing Committees; Ad hoc Select Committees; and
Departmental Committees;
Committees of the Whole House
There are three types of Committees of the Whole House.
Committee of the Whole House on Committee stage of a Bill
- On a bill being given a Second Reading, it stands committed to the Committee of the Whole House, unless the House resolves to commit it to an Ad hoc Select Committee.Committee of the Whole House on the Budget
- Following the laying of annual or supplementary estimates of government expenditure before the House, and the budget speech by the Minister for Finance, the Committees of Ways and Means; and of Supply deliberate on them in sequence. Both Committee are of the Whole House.
The Committee of Ways and Means
Confines itself to deliberation on the processes suggested by the Minister for Finance to
raise funds to foot the budget for ‘he particular Fiscal Year. These deliberations are supposed
to last three days.
Committee of Supply
Confines itself to deliberation on the distribution of funds to be raised in the Committee of
Ways and Means to the various Ministries and Departments; this Committee does the
distributions within the twenty allotted days before October 31, each Calendar year.
Standing Committees
May also be known as Sessional Committees, and consist of a minimum of five and a maximum of twenty Members nominated by the House Business Committee and appointed by the House, on a motion moved by the Leader of Government Business. The business carried out by the current eight Standing Committees is either routine and/or in-house. The lifespan of the membership of these Committees coincides with that of a Session. The Committees falling under this category are:-
- House Business Committee:- prepares and manages the programme of the business of the House on a weekly basis.
- Estimates Committee:- was deleted on November 10 1 997.
- Public Accounts Committee:- examines reports by the Controller and Auditor-General on Central Government expenditure and fund accounts;
- Public Investments Committee:- examines reports by the Auditor-General (Corporations) on accounts of state corporations;
- Speaker’s Committee:- examines matters relating to the welfare of Members and staff of the National Assembly;
- Standing Orders Committee:- examines matters relating to and makes periodic reviews of the Standing Orders as necessary
- Liaison Committee:- examines and co-ordinates matters relating to operations of the Departmental Committees; and
- Powers and Privileges Committee:- is established under the National Assembly (Powers and Privileges) Act, (Cap 6, Laws of Kenya), and deals with issues regarding privileges of the House, Members and staff.
AD HOC Select Committees
These are appointed by the House as and whenever the need arises to investigate, study
and make recommendations on certain specific matters and issues for consideration by the
House.
[Source:http://bunge.gov.ke]
See also
- History of KenyaHistory of KenyaAs part of East Africa, the territory of what is now Kenya has seen human habitation since the beginning of the Lower Paleolithic. The Bantu expansion from a West African center of dispersal reached the area by the 1st millennium AD...
- List of national legislatures
- Legislative branch
- National Assembly of Kenya elections, 2007