National Assembly (Kenya) Explained
The National Assembly of the Republic of Kenya (formerly House of Representatives) is one of the two Houses of the Parliament of Kenya. Between 1966 and 2013, it served as a unicameral house. In 2013 (11th Parliament), it became the lower house when the Senate was reestablished.
It has a total of 349 seats: 290 elected from the constituencies, 47 women elected from the counties and 12 nominated representatives. The Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya serves as an ex officio member.
The High Court of Kenya ordered lawmakers to introduce gender quotas, or face dissolution in the mid-2010s, following the implementation of the 2010 Constitution.[1]
Committees
House Keeping committees
- House Business Committee: creates Parliamentary calendar; schedules committee business; issues directives and guidelines to prioritise or postpone any business of the House.
- Procedure & House Rules Committee: proposes rules for the orderly and effective conduct of committee business.
- Liaison Committee: guides and co-ordinates the operations, policies and mandates of all committees.
- Committee on Selection: nominates members to serve in committees.
- Committee on Members Services & Facilities.
Investigatory Committees
- Public Accounts Committee: responsible for the examination of the accounts showing the appropriations of the sum voted by the House to meet the public expenditure and of such other accounts
- Public Investments Committee: examines the reports and accounts of public investments
Special Funds Accounts Committee: examines the reports and accounts of national Funds except the National Governments Constituency Development Fund (NGCDF)
Departmental committees:
- Defence and Foreign Relations Committee: Defence, intelligence, foreign relations diplomatic and consular services, international boundaries, international relations, agreements, treaties and conventions
- Administration and National Security Committee: National security, police services, home affairs, public administration, public service, prisons, immigration and the management of natural disasters, community service orders
- Agriculture & Livestock Committee: Agriculture, livestock, irrigation, fisheries development, co-operatives development, production and marketing
- Environment and Natural Resources Committee: Matters relating to climate change, environment management and conservation, forestry, water resource management, wildlife, mining and natural resources, pollution and waste management
- Education & Research Committee: Education, training, research and technological advancement
- Energy Committee: Fossil fuels exploration, Development, production, maintenance and regulation of energy, communication, information, broadcasting and Information Communications Technology (ICT) development and management
- Finance and Planning: Public finance, monetary policies, public debt, financial institutions, investment and divestiture policies, pricing policies, banking, insurance, population, revenue policies, planning, national development, trade, tourism promotion and management, commerce and industry
- Health Committee: Matters related to health, medical care and health insurance
- Justice and Legal Affairs Committee: Constitutional affairs, the administration of law and justice, including the Judiciary, public prosecutions, elections, ethics, integrity and anti-corruption and human rights
- Labour and Social Welfare Committee: Labour, trade union relations, manpower or human resource planning, gender, culture and social welfare, youth, National Youth Service children's welfare; national heritage, betting, lotteries and sports
- Lands Committee: Matters related to lands and settlement
- Transport, Public Works and Housing Committee: Transport, roads, public works, construction and maintenance of roads, rails and buildings, air, seaports and housing
- Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Committee
- Communication, Information and Innovation Committee
Other Select committees:
- Budget and Appropriations Committee: investigates, inquires into and reports on all matters related to co-ordination, control and monitoring of the national budget; examines the Budget Policy Statement; examines bills related to the national budget, specifically the Appropriations Bill, the Supplementary Appropriation Bill, the Division of Revenue Bill and the County Allocation of Revenue Bill
- Committee on Implementation: responsible for scrutinising the resolutions of the House (including adopted committee reports), petitions and the undertakings given by the National Executive
- Committee on Delegated Legislation: delegates on statutory instruments submitted to the Assembly
- Committee on Regional Integration: examine the records of all the relevant debates and resolutions of the meetings of the East African Legislative Assembly; inquires into and examines any other matter relating to regional integration generally requiring action by the House
- Committee on Appointments:
- National Government Constituency Development Fund Committee
- Constitution Implementation Oversight Committee
- Pensions Committee
- Committee on National Cohesion and Equal Opportunity
- Parliamentary Broadcasting and Library Committee
Coalition and party summary
See also, Kenya National Assembly elections, 2013. For a list of current members, see 12th Parliament of Kenya#Members
Prior to the 2013 elections, the Jubilee Alliance consisted of The National Alliance, United Republican Party, and the National Rainbow Coalition. After the results were announced, Jubilee made post-election agreements with the New Ford Kenya, Alliance Party of Kenya, Chama Cha Uzalendo, People's Democratic Party, Ford People, Kenya African National Union, and United Democratic Forum.[2] [3] Reports indicate that two independents, NARC-Kenya, and one member of the Federal Party of Kenya also agreed to work with Jubilee.[4]
(Members between 2013 and 2017)
| Coalition | Party | Constituency
Representatives | Women County
Representatives | Nominated
Representatives | Total |
|---|
| Kenya Kwanza | UDA | 103 | | | 143 |
|---|
| ANC | 7 | 10 | 3 | 7 |
|---|
| FORD-K | 5 | – | 1 | 6 |
|---|
| TSP | 1 | – | – | 2 |
|---|
| CCK | | 2 | – | 1 |
|---|
| DP | 1 | – | – | 1 |
|---|
| GDDP | | – | – | 1 |
|---|
| PAA | 3 | – | – | 3 |
|---|
| UDM | 6 | – | – | 5 |
|---|
| MCC | 1 | – | – | 2 |
|---|
| UPIA | 1 | – | – | 2 |
|---|
| UPA | 1 | – | – | 2 |
|---|
| MDG | 1 | – | – | 1 |
|---|
| Total | | 26 | 7 | 179 |
|---|
| Azimio la Umoja | ODM | | 15 | 3 | 89 |
|---|
| JUBILEE | | – | 1 | 30 |
|---|
| WIPER | | 6 | 1 | 26 |
|---|
| DAP | | – | – | 5 |
|---|
| KANU | | – | – | 5 |
|---|
| KUP | | – | – | 3 |
|---|
| NOPEU | | – | – | 1 |
|---|
| NAP | | | | 1 |
|---|
| UDP | | | | 1 |
|---|
| Total | | 21 | 5 | 158 |
|---|
| Unaffiliated | Independent | 1 | – | – | 12 |
|---|
| Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
|---|
| Vacant | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
|---|
| Total | 290 | 47 | 12 | 349 | |
|---|
See also
General:
External links
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Notes and References
- News: Kenya court orders parliament to pass gender quota. 2017-03-31. en-US.
- Web site: allAfrica.com: Kenya: NARC's Kagwe to Be Senate Leader. allAfrica.com. 16 November 2014.
- Web site: Mudavadi's UDF inks deal with Uhuru. Capital News. 8 April 2013. 16 November 2014.
- Web site: Uhuru woos small parties to join Jubilee. Daily Nation. Kenya. 16 November 2014.
