Members of the National Assembly on Tuesday, October 1, approved the appointment of Samuel Njoroge as the new Clerk.
Njoroge’s name was recommended by a report compiled by the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) which was steering the exercise of recruitment.
Eldas member of parliament Adan Keynan, who is a member of the commission, tabled the report amid protests from a section of Azimio la Umoja MPs.
He later invited Ainabkoi MP Samuel Chepkonga to second the motion.
“Taking into consideration the Recommendations of the Parliamentary Service Commission in its Report on the Recruitment of the Clerk of the National Assembly, laid on the Table of the House today, Tuesday, 1st November 2022, and pursuant to the provisions of Article 128 (1) of the Constitution, this House approves the appointment of Mr Samuel Njoroge as the Clerk of the National Assembly,” Keynan stated.
However, the Speaker, Moses Wetangula was unable to determine the winning side through acclamation - between those who voted in favour of the appointment and those opposed to it.
Wetangula thereafter called for a roll call vote through the electronic system.
“You have the requisite number to have a division, we will have a roll call vote,” Speaker Wetangula ruled.
After the voting, Speaker Moses Wetangula ruled that the majority of the MPs voted in favour of the motion and hence Njoroge was approved as the substantive clerk. 164 members voted to support the motion while 94 opposed the approval of the recommended name.
Njoroge will replace Serah Kioko who was serving as the clerk in an acting capacity. Kioko took over from Michael Sialai after attaining the retirement age of 60 years.
He was one of the 48 candidates who applied for the position. The PSC on Sunday, October 30, shortlisted four names from the initial 48 candidates who had applied for the position.
Prior to his appointment as the Clerk, Njoroge had served as the Director of Legislative & Procedural Services in the National Assembly.
According to the report by the PSC, Kioko will retain her position as the Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly.
The roles of a clerk include accounting, administrative duties and organizing the order of the day in every sitting. The clerk is tasked with the role of presiding over the first sitting before a speaker is elected.
