National Assembly Speaker, Moses Wetangula, on Friday, March 24, announced that cabinet secretaries would be required to appear in Parliament in person to answer questions lawmakers asked following the Standing Orders' amendment.
In a statement, it was also noted that CSs would be required to respond to questions asked by legislators a day before appearing without delay.
The rules were part of the amendments made to the Standing Orders to allow cabinet secretaries to answer questions by MPs in a move aimed at enhancing accountability.
Wetangula explained that government officials could not delegate responsibilities to their juniors.
"The Leader of the Majority Party will inform the House of the date, time, and order in which cabinet secretaries will appear to reply to questions and provide reports, considering the urgency of each question.
"A Cabinet Secretary shall provide both physical and electronic copies of the reply to a question at least one day before the said appearance,' Wetangula stated.
Following the amendments made, it was revealed that a sitting space would be set aside to accommodate President William Ruto's appointees during their appearance.
Pursuant to the new Standing Orders, the CS will sit on the Speaker's right side.
However, the lawmakers were also informed that they would ask a maximum of 2 supplementary questions during the session set for three hours.
"The amended Standing Order 40(3A) gives priority to questions and reports by cabinet secretaries every Wednesday afternoon for a period not exceeding three hours.
"Additionally, Wednesday House sittings will adjourn at 9:00 pm in accordance with the amended Standing Order 30(2)," read the statement in part.
The first batch of CSs will appear before the house on April 11 after Parliament resumes its sittings from recess.
Proposals to have cabinet secretaries appear in Parliament were made by Ruto who explained that the move would improve accountability in the government and enhance service delivery.
