Lawmakers from the National Assembly today shared knowledge and experiences on best Parliamentary practices with Members of Parliament from Ghana's House Committee.

In a Joint meeting co-chaired by the Chairpersons for the Committees on Broadcasting & Library and that of Members Service & Facilities, Hon. Daniel Nanok & Hon. (Dr.) Karani Stephen Wachira respectively, the MPs shared their mandates, experiences and challenges encountered in discharging their oversight, legislative and representation duties constituents.

The Ghanaian delegation led by the Minority Chief Whip and Vice Chairperson Hon. Frank Annoh said the visit is aimed at benchmarking and learning from Kenya’s parliamentary systems. He noted that their House Committee's mandate is similar to Kenya’s Committee on Members Service & Facilities.

"We are here to learn from Kenya, share ideas  on what we have done, and further understand what's happening in your jurisdiction," he said.

The MPs from Ghana expressed interest in understanding how the National Assembly has established and run the Constituency offices, especially the NG-CDF. Of interest to them too was the Parliamentary Pension Scheme, the framework for Post Retirement Medical Scheme, as well as MPs catering services, security and broadcasting services.

Responding to the concerns, Hon. Daniel Nanok explained that the services given to the Kenyan MPs are run and administered by the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC), a Constitutional body mandated to oversee key parliamentary functions, including security, catering, library, and broadcasting services.

Hon. Nanok further clarified that Kenyan MPs do not manage the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF), emphasizing that their role is strictly on oversight.

"The NG-CDF funds are controlled by the Public Finance Management laws and run by the NG-CDF Board. Constituencies propose projects to the Board for approval and implementation," Hon. Nanok said.

Elaborating on Parliament of Kenya's Pension Scheme and Post Retirement Medical Scheme, Hon. Karani Stephen Wachira stated that the former is applicable to MPs who serve a minimum of two terms and that the latter began during the 13th Parliament, whereby Members of Parliament and staff contribute to it, to ensure that medical bills after retirement are taken care of. 

Speaking to the resolution of matters affecting MPs, Hon. Wachira attributed the promptness and effectiveness to the Clerk of the National Assembly and the Director General in responding to Members’ needs and concerns. 

"The Clerk of the National Assembly and the Director General work jointly on resolving matters affecting the MPs. Once reported, the matters are usually dealt with promptly," Hon. Wachira said.

Hon. Wachira dispelled the notion that the lunch MPs take free lunch in Parliament.

"MPs pay for their lunch in Parliament. We usually sign vouchers and money is deducted from our payslips," Hon. Wachira added. 

In his concluding remarks, the head of the Ghana delegation appreciated the in-depth engagement received from their Kenyan counterparts and committed to ensuring that lessons from this visit are translated into action back at home. 

“As partners of development and countries with longstanding relations, this is a good chance to keep building these symbiotic relationships. He said. Adding that “We have learned a lot and will endeavor to ensure that we put to use our key take away: prompt response to MPs issues.”