NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 11 – A National Assembly special sitting that was slated to be held on Wednesday to deliberate the County Governments’ Additional Allocations Bill has now been called off.
In a communication dispatched to newsrooms, Speaker Justin Muturi stated that he was compelled to take the action after the Government Printer refused the gazette the notice which would have given the sitting a legal backing.
“I hence instructed the Clerk of the National Assembly to cause the publication of the procedural notifications in the Gazette and make other necessary arrangements to facilitate the special sittings of the House,” he explained.
“However, as at 14.30 hours today, the Government Printer had not, for unknown reasons, published the Gazette Notice. Standing Order 38 requires the publication of the Order Paper showing the business proposed to be transacted by the House at least twelve hours before the House meets. The publication of an Order Paper for a Special Sitting of the House follows the publication of the Gazette Notice for the particular sitting,” Muturi stated.
The Speaker’s decision to cancel the Special Sitting came minutes after Minority Leader John Mbadi advised ODM and Wiper MPs against attending the special sitting claiming that it had been convened unprocedurally.
He stated that as per Standing Order 29(1), no Special Sittings can be convened without Gazettement as stipulated in the Standing Orders and as per the House Procedures.
Standing Order 29 confers upon the Speaker the power to allow a request for Special Sittings by the Leader of the Majority Party if satisfied that the business proposed to be transacted relates to urgent or important business.
“I want to advise our Members not to attend any Special Sittings and to ignore any further communications in regard to the Sittings,” Mbadi said in a press statement.
MPs were also expected to deliberate on the National Assembly’s Budget and Appropriations Committee is also expected to table a report on the County Governments’ Additional Allocations Bill while the Departmental Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations will also consider a motion on the approval of the ratification of a Defence Cooperation Agreement between Kenya, the United Kingdom, and Northern Ireland.
Other businesses included the First Reading, Second Reading, Committee of the Whole House of the Huduma Bill, and any other priority business certified as urgent by the Speaker.
Muturi stated that he remains available to facilitate any sitting of the House between now and the end of the term of this Parliament in accordance with the requirements of Standing Orders.
