MPs pass less than half of proposed Bills during third session

Members of Parliament managed to only pass 17 out of 49 Bills tabled in the National Assembly during the Third Session, highlighting the sluggish legislative performance of the 13th Parliament.

The Third Session saw MPs enact just 34.6 per cent of the Bills introduced, a decline compared to the 26 Bills passed in the corresponding session of the 12th Parliament.

Similarly, in the Second Session, the current Parliament also passed fewer laws, enacting 18 Bills compared to 34 under the 12th Parliament.

Statistics released by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Samuel Njoroge, show that 17 Bills were assented to by President William Ruto, becoming law during the Third Session, which ran from mid-February to December 6, 2024.

Njoroge provided a breakdown of the session’s legislative activities, saying, “Despite the challenges encountered, the National Assembly achieved the following: introduction of 49 Bills, out of which 17 were assented to, 19 Senate Bills were processed, 11 National Assembly Bills were passed and forwarded to the Senate, 7 Bills (five Senate and two National Assembly Bills) were undergoing mediation, and the rest were at various stages of consideration.”

Njoroge made the remarks during the opening session of the 2025 mid-term retreat for MPs in Naivasha, Nakuru County which was officially opened by Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula.

The retreat, aimed at evaluating the progress of the current parliamentary term, also set the stage for the remainder of the legislative period, which is scheduled to end in August 2027.

According to Njoroge, MPs considered 161 motions, with 38 still pending at the close of the session. Additionally, 312 statements were processed, and 54 committee reports were adopted.

Finance Bill 

He attributed the slow pace of legislative work to difficulties in processing the failed Finance Bill, 2024, and the time spent considering the impeachment of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi.

Njoroge also reported that the House approved 85 individuals nominated by the President for key State positions, including Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, the Attorney-General, the Inspector-General of Police, and various diplomatic officers.

He added that more than 200 new legislative proposals are currently undergoing pre-publication scrutiny and are pending before various National Assembly departmental committees.

“During the next session, the committees should prioritise the consideration of these proposals to enable members to fulfil their legislative goals,” Njoroge said.

Njoroge also highlighted the importance of reconstituting the 18 House committees whose terms are expiring, including the Powers and Privileges Committee, the House Business Committee, and the Members Welfare and Facilities Committee.

He said the timely reconstitution of these committees is crucial to ensuring the smooth continuity of the House’s business.

Other Topics To Read

• National
• pending bills
• Parliament bills
• National Assembly Bills
• bills
• MPs pass less than half of proposed Bills during third session
• Headlines

The National Assembly will reconvene from the long Christmas recess to start the Fourth Session on February 11, 2025.

The Clerk also lauded first-time MPs, saying they have made a significant impact, with 31 out of 131 legislative proposals introduced in the First Session, 80 out of 197 in the Second Session, and 22 out of 74 in the Third Session.

“Their contribution accounts for 35 per cent of the 402 legislative proposals introduced so far. The legislative output for the first half of this Parliament is highly commendable,” he added.