Ruto to open post-election conference in Mombasa
President William Ruto will on Monday, January 30 headline a four-day post-election seminar for members of the National Assembly.
The event whose theme is "equipping the 21st legislator for effective service delivery" will be held in Mombasa and is jointly co-hosted by the leadership of the National Assembly and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).
As per practice within the Commonwealth parliaments, the event takes place at the beginning of the term of every Parliament.
The forum comes hot on the heels of a week-long House Committees’ Induction that came to a close on Saturday.
In an earlier Communication to the Members regarding the seminar, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula said the conference is aimed at building the capacity of members of the 13th parliament in all aspects of good parliamentary practice as well as promoting our national values and ideals of parliamentary democracy.
“We have invited our partners, the United States of America’s National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI), with a view to benefiting from best practices in the US congress, particularly on matters touching on bicameralism and multiparty democracy,” Speaker Wetangula noted.
“Most importantly, the sessions will provide members with a window to gain a better understanding of parliamentary systems and processes in established jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom and the United States among others,” he added.
Further, Wetangula reckoned that during the four-day conference members of the national assembly will be afforded an opportunity to hear and interact with speakers from sister parliaments within the East African Community and the larger continent of Africa.
“The Seminar will also provide a platform for members to discuss and engage with players from the other arms of government and experts on the area of democratic governance,” he held.
On his part, the Clerk of the National Assembly, Samuel Njoroge observed that Post-election realities tend to be challenging especially for Members serving their first term and therefore require timely interventions at the nascent stages of a new Parliament to enable them to effortlessly settle into their new leadership roles.
“The Seminar will underscore the need for continuous retooling and reskilling of the new and returning Members in order to enrich the performance of the individual Member and that of the National Assembly in delivering its constitutional mandate to the people of Kenya,” Njoroge explained.
According to the programme released by the Office of the Clerk, President Ruto deliver the keynote address and officially open the seminar on Monday.
Ruto will be followed by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi who will give a presentation on the role of the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary visa-a-visa linkage between Parliament and the Executive.
In the new Executive Order 2023, the Prime Cabinet Secretary Chairs and co-ordinates National Government legislative agenda across all ministries and state departments in consultation with and for transmission to the Party/Coalition Leaders in Parliament.
In quick succession, Stephen Twigg, Secretary General of, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) will follow suit and give a presentation on the legislature in the 21st century having served as United Kingdom Parliamentarian.
Kevin Andrews, Former MP, of the Australian House of Representatives, as well as Sylvia Lucas, Deputy Chairperson, of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), South Africa, will give a presentation on Opportunities and Challenges for New and Returning Members.
Wachira Maina, Governance and Legal Consultant, Hon. Farah Maalim, EGH, MP, 4th Chairperson of Committees and Natalie Foster, Clerk Assistant, House of Commons, Canada will each present a paper on the doctrine of Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances.
Lady Justice Martha Koome Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court of Kenya will close the first day with a presentation Leadership: Behavior, Ethics, and Standards: A perspective from the Judiciary.
On the second day, Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sharrif Nassir is lined up to give a presentation on the Role of Select Committees in Parliamentary oversight while Phyllis Makau a Former Director of, the Parliamentary Budget Office is scheduled to give a presentation on the Role of the Legislature in Budget-making: The Budget Process, Risks, Balancing the Numbers and Politics.
With parliament being a recipient of sometimes bad publicity, Chief Executive Officer, of Media Council of Kenya David Omwoyo and Trustee and Chair, of the Ethics Committee, of Kenya Editors’ Guild Martin Masai will share their experiences on Effective Media Engagement while Giving Parliamentarians a Voice.
Amb Monica Juma, National Security Advisor to the President of the Republic of Kenya will give a presentation on Parliamentary Diplomacy, Networking and Parliamentary Assistance.
While Korir Sing’oei, Principal Secretary, of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will share his insights on Protocol and Etiquette.
MP Olago Aluoch, Former MP & Former, PSC Commissioner and Embu governor Cecily Mbarire will give their presentation on the Making of an Effective Legislator: Expectations, the Reality & Lessons.
