PART XXII - SELECT COMMITTEES

House Business and Rules Committee

165.(1) There shall be a select committee, to be designated the House Business and Rules Committee, consisting of-

a. the Speaker who shall be the chairperson;

b. the Deputy Speaker

c. Members of the Chairperson’s Panel;

d. the Leader of the Majority Party;

e. the Leader of the Minority Party; and;

f. not less than five and not more than nine Members, who shall be nominated by Assembly parties and approved by the Assembly at the commencement of every Session, reflecting the relative majorities of the seats held by each of the Assembly parties in the Assembly and taking into consideration the interests of Independents.

(2) The House Business and Rules Committee shall be appointed within seven days on Assembly of a new Assembly.

(3) In nominating the Members to the House Business and Rules Committee, each Assembly party shall include its Whip into the Membership.

(4) In the absence of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker or a Member of the Chairperson’s Panel shall attend and chair the meetings of the House Business and Rules Committee.

(5) The House Business and Rules Committee shall –

(a) prepare and, if necessary, from time to time adjust the Assembly Calendar with the approval of the Assembly;

(b) monitor and oversee the implementation of the Assembly Business and programmes.

(c) implement the Standing Orders respecting the scheduling or programming of the business of the Assembly and the functioning of the Committees of the Assembly;

(d) determine the order in which the reports of Committees shall be debated in the Assembly;

(e) may take decisions and issue directives and guidelines to prioritize or postpone any business of the Assembly acting with the concurrence of the Leader of the Majority Party or the Leader of the Minority Party, as the case may be.

(f) consider such matters as may from time to time arise in connection with the business of the Assembly and shall have and perform such powers and functions as are conferred on and ascribed to it by these Standing Orders or from time to time by the Assembly.

(g) consider and report on all matters relating to these Standing Orders.

(h) The House Business and Rules Committee may propose amendments to these Standing Orders and any such amendments shall upon approval by the Assembly, take effect at the time appointed by the Assembly.

(i) The House Business and Rules Committee may propose rules for the orderly and effective conduct of committee business and any such rules, shall upon approval by the Assembly, continue in force until amended or repealed by the Assembly.

(j) Any rules approved under paragraph (5) shall be annexed to the Standing Orders and shall be binding upon Committees to the same extent as these Standing Orders.

(6) The Chairperson and at least one third of the other Members of the House Business and Rules Committee shall form a quorum.

(7) If, for any reason, a Member of the House Business and Rules Committee is unable to attend, the Leader in the Assembly of the party which nominated that Member may appoint another Member in that Member’s place for the period for which the Member is unable to attend.

Committee on Selection

166. (1) There shall be a select committee, to be designated Committee on Selection,

consisting the Leader of the Majority party who shall be the chairperson, the Leader of the Minority party and not less than seven and not more than ten Members, who shall be nominated by Assembly parties and taking into account the interest of independent Members approved by the Assembly.

(2) The Committee on Selection shall nominate Members to serve in Committees, save for the Membership of the House Business Committee and Committee on Appointments.

(3) The Committee on Selection shall be appointed within ten days on Assembly of a new Assembly.

General Provisions

Nomination of Members of select committees

167. (1) Unless otherwise provided by any written law or these Standing Orders, the

Committee on Selection shall, in consultation with Assembly parties, nominate Members who shall serve on a select committee.

(2) The Committee on Selection shall give consideration to the need for gender balance and shall, so far as may be practicable, ensure that no more than two-thirds of Members of a committee of the Assembly, including a committee established through a resolution of the Assembly, shall be of the same gender.

(3) A vacancy occasioned by resignation or removal of a Member from a select committee shall be filled within fourteen days of the vacancy.

(4) A Member against whom an adverse recommendation has been made in a report of a select committee that has been adopted by the Assembly shall be ineligible for nomination as Member of that committee.

Criteria for nomination

168. (1) In nominating Members to serve on a select committee, the Selection Committee

shall ensure that the membership of each committee reflects the relative majorities of the seats held by each of the Assembly parties in the Assembly and taking into account the interest of independent Members.

(2) Despite paragraph (1), a Member belonging to a party other than an Assembly party or independent Member may be nominated to serve in select committee and the allocation of membership of select committees shall be as nearly as practicable proportional to the number of Members belonging to such parties and independent Members.

(3) Except as the Assembly may otherwise resolve, on the recommendation of the Committee on Selection for reasons to be stated, no Member shall be appointed to serve in more than two Sectoral committees.

Approval of nomination

169.(1) The Selection Committee shall, within seven days upon nomination of Members to serve in any committee of the Assembly, present the list to the Assembly for approval.

(2) Whenever a Motion for approval of a list under paragraph (1) is moved in the

Assembly, no objection against the proposed membership of a Member in a select committee shall be permitted and objections, if any, shall be formulated against the proposed Membership as a whole.

(3) A Member shall not be a member of a committee of the Assembly, unless the nomination of such Member into the committee is approved by the Assembly.

Discharge of a Member from a committee

170. (1) The Assembly party that nominated a Member to a select committee, may give

notice, in writing, to the Speaker that the Member is to be discharged from a select committee.

(2) The discharge of a Member shall take effect upon receipt by the Speaker of a notice under paragraph (1).

Composition of select committees

171. Subject to any written law, these Standing Orders or a resolution of the Assembly, a

select committee shall consist of an odd number of Members, being, not less than eleven and not more than seventeen.

Chairing of select committees and quorum

172. (1) Subject to paragraph (2) of Standing Order 167 (Nomination of Members of select

committees), unless otherwise provided under any written law, these Standing Orders or by resolution of the Assembly-

(a) a select committee shall, upon appointment, elect its chairperson and vice-chairperson from amongst its Members;

(b) a half of the Members of a select committee shall constitute a quorum.

(2) A Member of the County Assembly Service Board shall not be eligible to be elected as a Chairperson or a Vice Chairperson of a select or sectoral committee.

(3) Except as expressly provided for in this Standing Orders and any other written law, the Leader of the Majority, Deputy Leader of the Majority Party, the Leader of the Minority Party, the Deputy Leader of the Minority Party, the Majority Party whip, the Deputy Majority Party Whip, the Minority Party Whip, and the Deputy Minority Party Whip shall not be eligible to be elected as a Chairperson or a Vice Chairperson of a select or sectoral committee.

Conduct of election

173. (1) The Clerk shall appoint a place, date and time for the first meeting of a committee

within seven days of its constitution by the Assembly, or such further period as the Speaker may approve, and as soon as a majority of the Committee is present, the Clerk shall, by a secret ballot, conduct the election of the Chairperson and Vice-chairperson of the committee.

(2) Whenever a vacancy occurs in the office of Chairperson or Vice-chairperson of a select committee, the Clerk shall, within seven days of the vacancy arising, appoint a place and time for the meeting of the committee to elect the Chairperson or Vice-chairperson.

Duties of Committee Chairperson

174. Subject to the provisions of these Standing Orders and the directions of the committee,

a chairperson of a committee shall-

(a) preside at meetings of the committee;

(b) perform the functions and exercise the powers assigned to office of the Chairperson by the committee, resolutions of the Assembly or legislation;

(c) be the spokesperson of the committee.

Notice of meetings

175. (1) A notice of a meeting of a select committee shall be given by the Clerk to all

Members of the committee showing the date time, venue and agenda of the meeting.

(2) A notice under paragraph (1) shall be deemed to have been given upon circulation through the official email addresses of a Member, the Assembly website, by delivery of the notice in the office of a Member or posting of the notice in the precincts of Assembly, notification by short message services and or permitted internet-based messaging services.

Sittings of select committees

176. A sitting of a committee shall be held at such place, date and time as shall be determined by the Chairperson or on a PETITION made by at least seven members of that committee but no meeting of a Committee may be held outside the precincts of Assembly without the approval of the Speaker.

Sub-committees of select committees

177. A select committee may establish such sub-committees as it may consider necessary for the proper discharge of its functions

Member adversely mentioned not to sit

178. A Member who is adversely mentioned in a matter under deliberation by a committee shall not be present at any meeting at which the committee is deliberating on the matter, but the Member may appear to adduce evidence as a witness before the committee.

Adjournment for lack of quorum

179. Unless quorum is achieved within thirty minutes of the appointed time, a meeting of a committee of the As