PART VI - PRESIDING, CALENDAR, SITTINGS AND ADJOURNMENTS OF THE ASSEMBLY

Presiding in the Assembly

27. The Speaker shall preside at any sitting of the Assembly but in the absence of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker or a member of the Speakers Panel shall preside.

Date of the first sitting of a new Assembly

28. Whenever a new Assembly is elected, the Governor, by notice in the Gazette, shall appoint the date of the first sitting of the new County Assembly, which shall not be more than thirty days from the date on which the County Assembly shall be fully constituted as provide for under section 7A.

Regular Sessions of the Assembly

29. (1) Except for the Session commencing immediately after a general election, the regular Sessions of the Assembly shall commence on the second Tuesday of February and terminate on the first Thursday of December.

(2) Despite paragraph (1), the Assembly may, by resolution, alter the dates specified under paragraph (1) in respect of a particular Session.

(3) Subject to paragraph (1), the Assembly shall continue to be in session and may adjourn for such number of days as it may determine in its calendar.

(4) Despite paragraphs (1), (2) and (3), a period of three months shall not intervene between the last sitting of the Assembly in one Session and the first sitting thereof in the next Session.

Calendar of the Assembly

30. (1) The House Business and Rules Committee shall, with approval of the Assembly,

determine the calendar of the Assembly.

(2) The calendar of the Assembly once approved shall be published in the gazette and

the Assembly website and at least two newspapers of county circulation.

(3) On a day when the Assembly is scheduled to adjourn to a day other than the next normal sitting day in accordance with the Assembly Calendar, the Leader of the Majority Party or the Leader of the Minority Party or another member of the House Business and Rules Committee shall move a Motion of adjournment which shall be debated for not more than three hours after which the Assembly shall adjourn without question put.

(4) Despite paragraph (2), the Assembly may, by resolution, alter its Calendar or the adjournment date.

(5)A motion for adjournment of the Assembly sine die shall not require a question to be put.

Special sittings of the Assembly

31. (1) Whenever during a Session the Assembly stands adjourned, whether or not a day

has been appointed for the next meeting, the Speaker may, on the request of the Leader of the Majority Party or the Leader of the Minority Party, appoint a day for a special sitting of the Assembly.

(2) The Speaker may allow a request under paragraph (1) if the Speaker is satisfied that the business proposed to be transacted relates to any urgent and exceptional business as the Speaker may allow.

(3) The Speaker shall, by notice in the Gazette, notify the Members of the place, date and time appointed for the special sitting of the Assembly.

(4) Whenever the Assembly meets for a special sitting under paragraph (1), the Speaker shall specify the business to be transacted on the day or days at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning and 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, but more than one sitting may be held during the same day.

(5) The business so specified under paragraph (4) shall be the only business before the Assembly during the special sitting, following which the Assembly shall stand adjourned until the day appointed in the Assembly calendar.

Hours of meeting

3 32(1) Unless the Speaker, for the convenience of the Assembly otherwise directs, theAssembly shall sit at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday and 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, but more than one sitting may be held during the same day. (2) Unless for the convenience of the County Assembly, the Speaker or the Chairperson(as the case may be) directs earlier or later interruption of business, at 5:30 p.m. on the occasion of an afternoon sitting and at 12:30 p.m. on the occasion of a morning sitting, the Speaker or the Chairperson of Committees shall interrupt the business then under consideration and if the County Assembly is in Committee the Chairperson shall leave the Chair and report progress and ask leave to sit again.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraphs (1) and (2), the County Assembly in order to transact

Business may resolve-

(a) to extend its sitting time, or

(b) to meet at any other time on a sitting day; or

(c) to meet on any other day,

(d) in order to transact business.

(4) A Motion under paragraph (3)(a) shall be moved at least thirty minutes before the time appointed for adjournment.

(5) If at the time appointed for the interruption of business, a division is in progress, or a question is being put from the Chair and a division results immediately thereon, such interruption shall be deferred until after the declaration of the numbers and the result of the division.

(6) Upon the conclusion of all proceedings under paragraphs (2), (3) or (4) of this standing order, or upon the earlier completion or deferment of all business standing upon the Order Paper for the sitting, the Speaker shall adjourn the Assembly without question put.

Adjournment of the Assembly

33. (1) A Member may at any time, for reasons stated, seek leave to move a motion “That, this Assembly do now adjourn.”

(2) If the Speaker is of the opinion that such motion for adjournment of the Assembly is frivolous, vexatious, or an abuse of the proceedings of the Assembly, the Speaker may forthwith put the question thereon or decline to propose it.

(3) The debate on a motion under this Standing Order shall be confined to the matter of the Motion.

Resumption of interrupted business

34. Any debate interrupted under this Part shall on coming again before the Assembly or

the Committee, be resumed at the point where it was interrupted and any member whose speech was so interrupted shall have the right to speak on such resumption for the remainder of the time available to him or her but if such member does not avail himself or herself of this right, his or her speech shall be deemed to have been concluded.

Adjournment on definite matter of urgent county importance

35. (1) Any member may at any time rise in his or her place and seek leave to move the

adjournment of the Assembly for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent county importance.

(2) A member who wishes to seek leave to move the adjournment of the Assembly shall, at least two hours before the commencement of the sitting, hand to the Speaker a written notification of the matter but the Speaker shall refuse to allow the claim, unless the Speaker is satisfied that the matter is definite, urgent and of County or National importance and may properly be raised on a Motion for adjournment of the Assembly.

(3) If the Speaker is satisfied in terms of paragraph (2) and not less than twenty other

members rise in their places in support, the Speaker shall nominate a time on the same day at which such motion may be moved.

(4) No member speaking on a matter under this Standing Order shall speak for more than five minutes without the leave of the Assembly, except that the mover may speak for ten minutes.