Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Prof. Kithure Kindiki will be the first Cabinet Secretary (CS) to appear before the National Assembly plenary on Wednesday

afternoon. He will be answering questions and expounding on policies under his docket.

This appearance by a CS before the House follows an amendment to various parts of the Standing Orders to allow the CSs to physically appear before the House and answer questions raised by MPs.

According to the Standing Orders CSs are compelled to physically appear before the House every Wednesday afternoon for a period not exceeding three hours to expound on Government policy, reply to questions and provide reports concerning matters under their dockets.

The National Assembly Speaker Hon (Dr.) Moses Wetangula told the House that with the approval and sanction of the House Business Committee (HBC), an average of nine questions will be scheduled to be answered every Wednesday.

Speaker  Wetang'ula added that any Member who files a question but does not show up without a reason will have his or her question dropped.

The Speaker reiterated that after a question is answered, the Member who asked the question will have the first bite of the supplementary question. Thereafter, he said, he would allow a maximum of three Members to ask supplementary questions on the same.

Hon. Speaker encouraged Members to take advantage of the appearance of Cabinet Secretaries before the House to interrogate them. “I encourage you Members to be there to prosecute your questions. Have your facts right so that you are not on a misadventure in the guise of questions. Don't bring a question then embark on asking things that are unrelated to the very question that you have brought to the House,” he said.

In his communication to the House on Tuesday, the Leader of the Majority Party Hon. Kimani Ichung'wah said that the House on Thursday, 9th March 2023, adopted a Report of the Procedure and House Rules Committee and passed amendments to the Standing Orders. This cleared the way for CSs to appear in the House to respond to questions and to provide reports to the House. 

“I hereby wish to bring to the attention of the House that pursuant to Standing Order 42 (a) the first Cabinet Secretary to appear in the plenary on the afternoon sitting of

Wednesday 12th April 2023, will be CS for Interior and National Administration, Prof. Kithure Kindiki,” said Hon. Ichung'wah.

CS Kindiki will be responding to among others, a question by Hon. Martha Wangari who sought to know about the shortage of birth registration materials (also known as B1 forms) in health facilities across the country.

The CS is also expected to respond to a question by Hon. Abdul Haro who seeks to know the progress of the establishment of civil registration centers in every sub-county in the country.

In addition, CS Kindiki will be providing answers to Hon. Joseph Gitari who asked a question on the outstanding warrants of arrest from Kagumo Police Post against a certain individual as well as the emergence of criminal gangs or groups affiliated with terror groups in the country.

“I will be updating the House every Thursday during Statements on the Cabinet Secretaries who are expected to appear the following week,” Hon. Ichung'wah added.