WELCOME REMARKS AND OBJECTIVESOF THE SEMINARBY MR.

MICHAEL
R. SIALAI, CBS, CLERK OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY DURING THE POST-
ELECTION SEMINAR FOR MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, MONDAY
5TH MARCH 2018, PRIDE INNBEACH HOTEL, MOMBASA COUNTY

The Honourable Justin Muturi, EGH, MP, Speaker of the National Assembly,
The Hon. Dr. Patrick Matibini, MP, Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia,
The Hon. Moses Cheboi, Deputy Speaker, National Assembly,
The Hon. Justice Philomena M. Mwilu, Deputy Chief Justice, Supreme Court,
Hon. Aden Duale, EGH, MP. Leader of the Majority Party, National Assembly,
The Hon. John Mbadi, CBS, MP. Leader of the Minority Party, National Assembly,
Mr. Karimulla Akbar Khan, Secretary General, CPA,
Honourable Members of Parliament,
Distinguished Resource Persons,
Ladies and Gentlemen

Good Morning. Hamjambo!

It’s a great honour and privilege on behalf of Parliament of Kenya and on my own behalf, to
welcome you all to this Post-Election Seminar for Members of the National Assembly of the
12th Parliament. The running theme of the Seminar is “sharing our experiences to enhance
good governance and continually safeguard the welfare of the nation”.

The Post-Election Seminar is organized in conjunction with the Commonwealth Parliamentary

Association (CPA), which is an association of 185 Parliaments and Legislatures.This attests to
the cordial relationship that has long existed between the National Assembly and the CPA
embedded in many spheres of engagement at national and global parliamentary affairs. The
relationship has been instrumental in the capacity building of Members and staff of the
National Assembly, including exposure to parliamentary procedures and practices.

I sincerely thank the CPA for partnering with the National Assembly to have this Seminar and
for conducting a similar Seminar in 2013.

Honourable Members,
Among other goals, the CPA aims to develop, promote and support Parliamentarians to identify
benchmarks of good governance and to implement the enduring values of the
Commonwealth.As such, the Seminar is intended to provide a platform for Members to deal
and interact with matters of parliamentary practice and procedure which they might not
otherwise have been dealt with in the induction workshop held in September 2017.

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Specifically, theSeminar will address the following key objectives:-
(i) Disseminate information on diverse good practices in Parliaments and presidential
systems of governance;
(ii) Promote an understanding of the way parliamentary procedures and practices can
entrench good governance into a system;
(iii) Provide an avenue for interaction with global stakeholders in the parliamentary and
governance sector; and
(iv) Understand how co-operation among parties in Parliaments can create an effective
and functional Parliamentary environment.

Honourable Members,
To deliver the Seminar objectives, we are honoured today to have distinguished resource team
consisting of senior experienced parliamentarians’ and parliamentary officials drawn from the
Commonwealth. The team will offer the participants an opportunity to share their knowledge
and experience acquired during their parliamentary careers.

Further, the participants will learn from the experiences of comparable jurisdictions such as the
National Assembly of Zambia, the United Kingdom House of Commons, the Senate in Canada,
the Northern Ireland Assembly, and Australia just to mention but a few.

The Seminar programme has also incorporated former Members of the National Assembly who
have a wealth of knowledge on parliamentary practice. The former Members will share their
experiences on the lessons learnt while in office and outside of Parliament. At this initial stages
of the 12th Parliament. it will indeed be an honour to engage with them.

Honourable Members,
As you are aware, Parliament is the key pillar in promoting good governance and it derives its
mandate from the people. The promotion of good governance requires a Parliament that can
effectively performs the three cardinal functions of representation, oversight and law
making.The knowledge shared at this Seminar will equip Members with the tools and skills for
discharging these constitutional mandates.

Kenya’s Constitutionis progressive and provides the National Assembly a wide range of
independence in performing its mandate.Notably, the Constitution mandates the three arms of
Government to be distinct and inter-dependent, and to conduct their mutual relations on the
basis of consultation and cooperation. It is against this background that constructive
relationships are essential to foster synergy, identify priorities, and improve legislative efficacy.

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This Seminar givesus the opportunity to share ideas on how we can strengthen these
institutions while retaining our independence.

Bicameralismin the Parliament of Kenya has not come without its challenges. TheNational
Assembly however,has steadily been guided by the Constitution in the dispensation of its
mandate in a bicameral system. The Clerk of the Senate of Canada,Mr. Blair Armitage will
share his experiences on bicameral Parliament and propose ways on how best a bicameral
Parliament can perform its functions.

The constitutional reforms resulted in enhanced separation of powers, and amplified the
independent and distinct roles of the three arms of the state. While respecting the independence
of each of the institutions, the need for institutions to also work together and adopt a
collaborative approach is even more critical. The Seminar offers an opportunity to discuss the
universal features and unique aspects of Kenya’s governance system, Executive-Legislature-
Judiciary linkages as envisaged in the Constitution.

Additionally, the Constitution recognizes the importance of political parties in governance.

Their importance lies in the fact that democracies cannot function without the existence of
political parties.Organized political parties are an indispensable cog in the working of modern
democratic and representativegovernments. Participants will benefit from experiences and
practices from mature and comparable jurisdictions where parties play a critical role.

Honourable Members,
As you are aware, the National Assembly is adequately mandated under the Constitution to
fully participate in the budget making process.It is important that legislators are well
equipped with the necessary knowledge and tools on the budget making process. Today,
we are privileged to have the Honourable Mutava Musyimi, who is the immediate former
chairperson of the Budget and AppropriationsCommittee of the National Assembly in the 11 th
Parliament to engagewith the participants in discussing the role of the National Assembly in
budget making process.

As the Seminar kicks off, it is expected that Members willgain invaluable knowledge on:-
(i) The principles of parliamentary traditions and practices and their implications on
the Members’ roles including legislation, representation and oversight;
(ii) The workings of a legislature in a presidential system; and
(iii) Harness the opportunities provided by the Constitution to achieve their constitutional
responsibilities.
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Honourable Members, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Seminar is not a one-off capacity building event for Members of the 12th Parliament. In
view of an increasingly complex work of parliamentarians and a globalized world,the Office of
the Clerk will continue to spearhead capacity building for Members. Members are also
encouraged to identify training gaps and request for group capacity building programmes that
will run fordurations of two (2) days at an appropriate venue within Nairobi and Naivasha.

Similar capacity building will be extended to Members’ personal assistants through a staggered
approach to equip then with relevant skills to enable them be effective, proactive, and
responsive to the needs of their respective offices.The first phase will be for personal assistants
in Leadership Offices and Chairpersons of Committees’, followed by those serving individual
Members in subsequent phases.

I welcome you to this Post-Election Seminar and wish all of us very interactive and vibrant
discussions.

Mr. Michael Sialai, EBS

Clerk of the National Assembly
Monday 5th March, 2018

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