The National Assembly could give MPs a bigger role in monitoring the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) under proposed changes that would allow a House committee to examine the commission’s reports and accounts on services and facilities provided to legislators.
The proposed changes would expand the mandate of the Select Committee on Members’ Services and Facilities, giving it a formal role in scrutinising the PSC’s financial reports and accounts relating to members’ services and facilities.
The committee, chaired by Laikipia West MP Stephen Wachira, has asked the National Assembly to amend Section 212B of the Standing Orders to accommodate the new oversight responsibility.
In a letter to National Assembly Clerk Samuel Njoroge, the committee proposed adding the examination of reports and accounts of the PSC concerning services and facilities for MPs to its existing duties.
"Section 212B of the Standing Orders is amended in section 2 by inserting a paragraph on examining reports and accounts of the Parliamentary Service Commission relating to members' services and facilities," reads the committee's proposal.
The MPs said the expanded mandate would improve the running of Parliament by promoting efficiency and ensuring the institution functions effectively.
"The Parliamentary Service Commission being a constitutional commission established under Article 127 of the Constitution to perform functions necessary for the wellbeing of MPs is subject to the oversight of the National Assembly as it falls under the definition of a state organ provided for under Article 260," the committee said in its letter.
The PSC is established under Article 127 of the Constitution and serves as the employer of MPs. Its responsibilities include providing the services and facilities required for Parliament to operate efficiently and effectively.
The Constitution also provides for the composition of the commission to include one man and one woman appointed by Parliament from among people experienced in public affairs who are not MPs.
The Members’ Services and Facilities Committee currently receives and considers views from MPs concerning services and facilities offered by the PSC for their benefit and wellbeing.
It also advises the commission and reports to the House on matters related to those services and facilities, giving MPs a channel through which they can raise concerns about their welfare.
Among the facilities and services within its oversight are the health club at Parliament, Parliament buildings, county and constituency offices and catering services provided within Parliament.
The committee also examines whether proposed parliamentary buildings will adequately meet the needs and expectations of MPs.
Apart from seeking greater scrutiny of the PSC, the committee wants the rules governing its leadership to be changed.
It has proposed that the committee be elected once every three years rather than having its leaders elected annually, as currently happens.
The committee argued that conducting elections during every session of the House creates unnecessary anxiety among members and makes it harder to maintain stable leadership.
"The committee on members' services and facilities should be constituted immediately following a General Election and shall serve for a period of three years, and the committee constituted thereafter shall serve for the remainder of the parliamentary term," reads the committee's letter.
The chairman said the current system was cumbersome because the committee has to hold elections in every session.
"It's cumbersome for the committee to conduct elections in every session. The changes will remove anxiety and provide stability in its leadership. The current practice of having the committee as a sessional committee of the House is not justified."
The proposed amendments will be consolidated before being presented to the National Assembly for consideration as the 13th Parliament approaches the end of its term next year.
Should the House approve the changes, they will come into force in the 14th Parliament after the 2027 General Elections, when newly elected MPs are sworn into office.