Members of the National Assembly have been summoned for a special sitting on Thursday, January 16, to discuss important matters.
“The sitting has been scheduled following a request from Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah and Minority Leader Junet Mohamed,” said National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula in an official notice.
MPs are expected to address any urgent messages from the National Executive or the Senate as part of their agenda. They will also be required to present the report and Notice of Motion on the mediated version of the County Governments Additional Allocations Bill (Senate Bill No. 10 of 2024), which follows the conclusion of the mediation process.
Other reports that will be tabled include one from the Committee on Appointments regarding the consideration of nominees for Cabinet Secretary positions, as well as another from the Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence, and Foreign Relations on the review of nominees for High Commissioners, Ambassadors, Permanent Representatives, and Consul-Generals.
Additionally, the Departmental Committee on Labour will present a report on the nominees for the positions of Vice-Chairperson and members of the Public Service Commission (PSC).
The members will also be expected to debate the reports and consider priority bills, including the Startup Bill (Senate Bill No. 14 of 2022) and the Persons with Disabilities Bill (Senate Bill No. 7 of 2023).
This comes in the wake of Senate Speaker Amason Kingi’s rejection of a special sitting requested by Nyandarua Senator John Methu.
Senator Methu had requested for a sitting to discuss the abductions of perceived Kenya Kwanza Government critics, but the request was shot down on a technicality.
“From the foregoing. it is clear that your request does not meet the requirements set out in standing order 33(1) for the following reasons- A request for a special sitting should originate from the Senate Majority Leader or the Senate Minority Leader; and a request for a special sitting is to be supported by at least fifteen senators,” Speaker Kingi informed Senator Methu, an ally of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
