Parliament adjourned over lack of quorum, sparking public outcry over MPs' priorities

The National Assembly on Wednesday was forced to adjourn due to a lack of quorum. This came just a few hours after 326 Members of Parliament gathered to support the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

Despite the strong show of numbers on Tuesday, the House could not muster the required attendance to conduct business, prompting the premature suspension of the morning sitting.

National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gladys Shollei rang the quorum bell for 15 minutes, urging members to attend.

When the assembly reconvened, it became clear that there were barely 20 members present, falling far short of the 50 required for a quorum in the National Assembly, as outlined in Article 121 of the Constitution.

“There being no quorum, the House stands adjourned until 2:30 pm today,” Shollei said, halting the morning session.

Typically, Wednesday mornings are reserved for debates on matters not sponsored by the leaders of the majority or minority, as well as private members' bills and motions. However, on this occasion, only a handful of MPs were present, resulting in insufficient numbers to proceed with the agenda.

The day's agenda included 14 motions and four private members' bills that had been scheduled for discussion.

Among the bills intended for debate on Wednesday were the Kenya Information Communications (Amendment) Bill 2022 by Elisha Odhiambo, the Community Health Workers Bill 2022 by Martin Owino, and the Higher Education Loans Board (Amendment) 2022 by Joy Kamene.

Additionally, motions included proposals to support local fertiliser manufacturers by Samuel Atandi, raise awareness for sickle cell and haemophilia by Peter Nabulindo, and improve access to markets by Beatrice Kemei. Other notable discussions were set to address various issues, including digital exclusion and respectful childbirth practices in Kenya.

Uproar on X

The absence of MPs raised concerns about their commitment to the duties for which they were elected. Observers noted that this quorum issue may reflect a troubling trend where pressing issues affecting the populace are neglected by legislators.

“The National Assembly has adjourned its morning sitting due to lack of quorum. For the House to transact any business, at least 50 members have to be present. Those MPs really have misplaced priorities I mean we have Adani and SHA, who will talk about them let alone abductions,” Salamanda said in a tweet.

“The House can't even raise a quorum of 50 members yet the house was full during the impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua. Do Kenyans even deserve parliament?” Bernard Kavuli posed in a tweet.

“On matters of national importance, there is no quorum,” another X user known as Rein said.

“The irony of the National Assembly. The critical matters touching on the ordinary Mwananchi fail to attract quorum in Parliament but when it comes to MPs' personal interests, the house is full,” Amos Muchiri said.

The latest quorum setback echoes previous incidents where crucial legislation has stalled in the House, particularly the long-discussed Two-Thirds Gender Rule, which has been unable to pass for over a decade.

Former Chief Justice David Maraga had previously urged President Uhuru Kenyatta to dissolve Parliament over its failure to enact this essential law.