The top leadership of the National Assembly is in Naivasha for the 2024 National Assembly Leadership Retreat which is scheduled to take place from Monday, October 28 to Wednesday, October 30.

This year’s theme, “Reinvigorating Leadership Synergy for Accelerated Delivery of the National Assembly’s mandate,” builds on last September’s retreat theme, “Building Leadership Synergy: Enhancing the Legislative Agenda in the National Assembly.”

According to the schedule published by the Office of the Speaker of the National Assembly, the leadership of the House will meet to address key legislative priorities and to strengthen synergy within the leadership of the Assembly.

“The retreat provides an opportunity for House leadership to set a strategic direction for the conduct of legislative business through the remainder of the third session and into the fourth session, which will run from November 5 to December 12, 2024,” he said The President of the National Assembly. Moses Wetang’ula.

Speaker Wetang’ula noted that the retreat is expected to produce critical outputs, including strategies to address challenges encountered during the third session and advance plans to process bills and other legislative priorities.

“It will also enable the leadership to formulate approaches for more effective and timely oversight by the National Assembly through its committees as well as address procedural and structural issues affecting the mandate of the House,” he added.

In response to public concerns about energy issues – including high costs and frequent outages – spokesperson Wetang’ula invited the Energy Cabinet Secretary, the Principal Secretary of the State Department of Energy and the CEO of Kenya Power to discuss the improvements from the sector and address future needs that could sustain production.

“It’s time for bipartisan cooperation to prioritize critical legislation and foster partnerships that benefit the public. We aim to address challenges such as unemployment, the impact of the tax regime and revenue-raising measures that influence the business environment,” the President emphasized.

Supporting the objectives of the withdrawal, the leader of the Majority Party in the National Assembly, Hon. Kimani Ichung’wah, outlined the progress of the Thirteenth Parliament since its inauguration on September 8, 2022.

“Through orientation, induction, capacity building programs and leadership forums, the Assembly and its members have been empowered to effectively discharge their constitutional obligations,” Hon. Ichung’wah noted.

He added that the initial induction retreats for MPs and Speakers, along with specialized committee orientations, provided critical training on parliamentary procedures, law-making and budget processes.

Under the theme “Reinvigorating Synergy in Leadership for the Accelerated Discharge of the National Assembly’s mandate”, this year’s retreat builds on last year’s focus on cohesion, with the aim of further strengthening the Assembly’s strategic direction.

The Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly, which coordinates the program, described the mandate as an essential phase for self-evaluation within the National Assembly.

“Trends across jurisdictions demonstrate that the mid-term of a Parliament is a good time for self-assessment. While fatigue can have a negative effect, the maturity achieved at this point can be leveraged for impactful legislative outcomes,” an office concept note reads in part.

Adding that: “In this regard, the second leadership retreat will be inspired by the theme: ‘Reinvigorating Synergy in Leadership for the Accelerated Fulfillment of the National Assembly’s mandate,'”

This annual retreat brings together the Presidium of the National Assembly, House leadership, House Business Committee and committee chairs, facilitating collaboration and promoting a strategic approach to legislative goals.

“There is no doubt that the orientation, induction and inaugural retreat of the leadership laid a solid foundation that positioned them on the right trajectory as they began their parliamentary duties,” the concept note details.

This year’s retreat will also include a session with the Ministry of Energy to discuss critical topics on energy security and infrastructure in line with Kenya’s industrialization goals.

In addition, the President will host a Speaker of the National Assembly Round Table with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) on the theme of ‘Drivers of Competitiveness’.

This commitment seeks to align legislative efforts with private sector initiatives to improve Kenya’s economic performance.

The main objective of the Retreat is to give House leadership an opportunity to reassess their roles in the performance of the House, bond and share experiences with peers, identify future priority business for the House, and candidly discuss critical aspects. it matters.

It will also provide an opportunity for the House Business Committee (HBC) and leadership to take stock of the progress made and the challenges facing the National Assembly during the first, second and part of the – the third session and draw the way forward.

It will also provide the Assembly leadership with the opportunity to prioritize future legislative business for the House, enhance collaboration and synergy within the leadership of the House, and strengthen strategic alliances with key stakeholders to advance nation building.

“The meeting will allow House leadership to consider the House’s legislative agenda, key bills and business to be considered in the remainder of the third session and business anticipated for the fourth session and explore strategies regarding the way of organizing the legislative agenda.” program partially read.

The retreat will also serve as a platform for the House Business Committee to assess its legislative agenda, formulate strategies to improve oversight through its committees, and address procedural challenges.

The retreat is expected to help formulate plans and strategies for the processing of bills and other legislative activities of the National Assembly and provide a way forward for addressing various legal, procedural and structural issues affecting the fulfillment of the mandate of the House.