Fresh details have emerged that the Nairobi county assembly has had to adjourn its plenary sittings thrice due to a lack of quorum.
After coming from a short recess on July 18, 2023, the assembly has been struggling to raise a quorum.
On Tuesday, only 26 out of 124 members attended the plenary forcing the Speaker to adjourn the afternoon session to Wednesday.
This Thursday, the assembly is expected to adjourn for a long recess until September 11, 2023
According to standing order 37 (1), a quorum of the county assembly or committee of the whole county shall be a third of its members.
Only 42 MCAs are required for the session to commence.
During the Azimio anti-government demonstrations the assembly suffered a lack of quorum as Speaker Ken Ng’ondi found himself alone in the chamber.
Earlier on, minority whip Mark Mugambi said the MCAs had been failing to attend the sitting specifically after the SRC scrapped the plenary sitting allowance.
"After SRC scrapped the plenary sitting allowance, the MCAs do not even feel motivated to use their fuel and come for sittings that they don't receive allowance for. We are still looking forward to it being restored," he said.
Last month, MCAs failed to attend plenary due to Sh60 million unpaid arrears.
Speaker Ngondi urged the MCAs to continue attending plenary sittings and stated that disciplinary actions will be taken against those that fail to attend sittings as per the law and their seats declared vacant.
He assured that a work plan for the payment is currently being prepared by the executive and there have been no payments done since the closure of the last financial year.
“The work plans are normally developed by the executive, so it is not in isolation that you can decide which to approve and which one not to. The Assembly is not independent as we get money from the executive," Ngondi said.
"The issue of some members being paid allowances and others not is neither here nor there and that is politics."
Skipping sessions results in violating provisions of Standing Order 242 of the county assembly.
The standing order states that if a member is absent from eight sittings of the assembly, during any session, without permission in writing from the Speaker, the Speaker shall report the matter to the assembly and the matter shall stand referred to the committee of privilege for hearing and determination.
