The National Assembly leadership retreated to Naivasha to discuss legislative priorities and strengthen collaboration within the House’s management.
The team was led by Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, and Minority counterpart Junet Mohamed, members of the Speaker’s Panel and chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of departmental, audit, appropriations and select committees.
This year’s theme, “Re-invigorating Synergy in Leadership for Accelerated Discharge of the Mandate of the National Assembly,” built on last year’s “Building Synergy in Leadership: Enhancing the Legislative Agenda in the National Assembly.”
“This retreat provides an opportunity for the House leadership to map out a strategic direction for managing legislative business through the remainder of the Third Session and into the Fourth Session, set to run from November 5 to December 12, 2024,” said Wetang’ula.
During the retreat, Wetang’ula said Bills seeking to curb corruption would be one of the key catalysts for the economic advancement of Kenya.
The proposed legislations include; Public Procurement and Asset Disposal (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Conflict of Interest Bill, 2024 and the Whistleblower Protection Bill, 2023.
The Speaker noted that there are various legislative proposals to enhance the competitiveness of th the country in key sectors among them agricultural, health, education, energy, transport, finance, insurance and ICT.
Ichung’wah and Mohammed emphasised the importance of collaborative efforts between Parliament and the private sector to drive policy reforms.
They advocated for a partnership that prioritises economic growth, investment, and sustainable development.
They were speaking during a round table with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA).
Mohammed emphasised the importance of exercising the oversight role of Parliament to keep the government accountable in terms of debt management and public investment efficiency.
On taxation, he said sustainable fiscal policies can only be achieved through expanding the tax base, implementing sustainable tax incentives, and fighting tax evasion.
Mohammed noted that by enacting laws aimed at combating corruption, controlling public debt, and promoting competitiveness and macroeconomic sustainability, Parliament can significantly contribute to driving economic growth.
Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare slammed brakes on a proposal by Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports, Kipchumba Murkomen to have counties independently manage establishment of sports academies without a statutory framework.
Committee chair Julius Murgor (West Pokot) voiced concerns over the lack of a proactive approach to sports development across the 47 counties, emphasising the need for clear policies to guide counties in establishing the academies.
"We need policies that detail how counties should implement these structures proactively,” Murgor said.
He spoke during a public participation forum on the Sports Amendment Bill, 2024.
Sponsored by Senators Tom Ojienda (Kisumu) and Raphael Chimera (Nominated), the Bill seeks to establish county sports academies nationwide and guard against abuse and exploitation of minors in sports.
The vice chair of the committee George Mbugua (Nominated) highlighted that consistent guidelines could provide necessary standardisation in the sector to bolster national efforts to develop a widespread talent pipeline across counties.
Mohammed Faki (Mombasa) echoed the sentiment, arguing that the national government bears the central responsibility in steering policy formulation that would see counties align with national talent goals.