The National Assembly on Wednesday afternoon inked an agreement with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) geared towards streamlining data sharing between the two institutions.
Clerk of the National Assembly Michael Sialai and KNBS Director General Macdonald George Obudho signed a memorandum of understanding which adds to the number of premier national research institutions that the Assembly has signed recently or in the process of formulating, to promote evidence-based legislation.
The National Assembly has such an existing agreement with the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) and is in the process of formulating agreements with the National Treasury and the Office of the Controller of Budget.
Evidence-driven legislation is a concept that calls for the use of the best available scientific evidence and systematically collected data for the formulation and enactment of legislation.
The 2010 Constitution of Kenya placed the budget making process as a central mandate of Parliament which is a departure from the traditional budget-approving role.
This new role called on legislators to embrace evidence-informed decision-making to strengthen accountability while enhancing the legislature's oversight role.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Sialai underscored the need for the establishment of relations with KNBS, noting that the bureau is recognized by law as the principal agency of the government for collecting, analysing and disseminating statistical data in Kenya.
"We are grateful to the KNBS for agreeing to collaborate with us. This move will greatly capacitate us through the Parliamentary Budget Office and equip our members with the information required to execute their mandate effectively on the budget-making process. Indeed, the signing of this MoU signifies an undertaking by our two institutions to ensure that lawmakers are well informed on the performance of the Kenyan economy", explained Sialai.
Acknowledging that KNBS has the mandate of coordinating all the institutions that conduct statistical data analysis, Mr Obudho noted that the move would be instrumental in improving their performance in information generation since the Parliamentary Budget Office also generates crucial information with respect to the budget, finance and economic information to Committees of Parliament.
"Through this MoU, we're creating necessary synergies to boost our performance in information generation," noted Obudho.
The Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) is a non-partisan office of the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) that provides professional services in respect of budget, finance, and economic information to the committees of Parliament and other functions as stipulated in Section 10 of the Public Finance Management Act, 2012.