National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has expressed concern over persistent absenteeism by Members of Parliament (MPs) during committee sittings, citing the lack of quorum as a major impediment to House business
Speaking during the 2025 Mid-Term Retreat for Members of the National Assembly in Naivasha, Nakuru County, the Speaker reminded lawmakers of their obligations.
“I have heard of situations where committee chairpersons plead with Members to attend meetings to meet quorum and then leave immediately after,” he said.
“Your duty as an MP is not just to create quorum for committee meetings but to actively participate in the proceedings in line with laid-down requirements,” he emphasized.
He noted that Committees were engines of Parliamentary proceedings therefore members should give priority to the activities of the Committees.
Wetang'ula said that Committee chairpersons were put in a tight corner by absent Members.
" Attend meetings promptly to give your chairperson and the Secretariate humble time to focus on how to tackle matters before the Committee and not making calls to MPs seeking quorums," he added.
The Speaker however noted that some members have religiously attended Committee meetings a move he noted should be emulated by their colleagues who shy away from attending the meetings.
The Leader of the Majority PartyKimani Ichung'wah on his part took issue with some Committee chairpersons for skipping House sessions.
He added that it was embarrassing that the Speaker while on the floor calls out chairpersons of Committees to respond to matters tabled in the House but they are nowhere to be seen.
"The Committee chairpersons miss alot when they are absent from the House proceedings and those missing in action should look into the matter," said the Kikuyu MP.
National Cohesion and Equal Opportunities Chairman Adan Yusuf Haji complained that members of the House leadership were taking too long to prosecute their matters on the floor of the House.
Haji noted that as a result, they ate into the time that other members would have used to make contributions during sessions.
"Members are concerned that members of the House Leadership consume too much time while on the floor at the expense of other Members seeking to attract the Speaker's eye," he lamented.
The Mandera West MP asked for the Speaker's intervention during such incidents to ensure that members have time to make their contributions during sessions.
