National Assembly, Senate returns from recess to tackle heavy legislative agenda
In the National Assembly, priority will be given to the vetting of nominees for appointment as High Commissioners, Ambassadors and Consuls-General, as well as nominees for the positions of Registrar and Assistant Registrar of Political Parties, and the Chairperson of the KNCHR.
Parliament will resume its sittings on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, after a long recess, with both the National Assembly and Senate expected to tackle a heavy legislative agenda ranging from vetting of key nominees to debate on constitutional amendments and economic agreements.
In the National Assembly, priority will be given to the vetting of nominees for appointment as High Commissioners, Ambassadors and Consuls-General, as well as nominees for the positions of Registrar and Assistant Registrar of Political Parties, and the Chairperson of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).
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The House will also consider Sessional Paper No. 2 of 2025 on the privatisation of the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC), the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between Kenya and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the agreement establishing the Shelter Afrique Development Bank. In addition, MPs will debate the agreement between Kenya and Singapore on the elimination of double taxation with respect to income taxes and on the prevention of tax evasion and avoidance.
Among priority bills before the National Assembly is the Virtual Asset Service Providers (Amendment) Bill (No. 15 of 2025) sponsored by Molo MP Kuria Kimani. The Bill seeks to regulate the fast-growing digital asset sector by requiring individuals or entities to obtain licences from a designated authority such as the Central Bank of Kenya, the Capital Markets Authority, or the proposed Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority.
Kimani highlighted Kenya’s strong performance in digital assets, saying the Bill could transform the country’s digital economy by creating a regulatory framework for virtual asset service providers.
“We have approximately 6.1 million virtual assets services users with the country having the potential to generate at least Sh130 billion in terms of foreign direct investment and the potential to create at least 25,000 jobs in Kenya in the next year if this Bill is passed,” he said.
He added that Kenya ranks third in Africa in chain-weighted transaction volumes, having traded about Sh258 billion through decentralised protocols, liquidity aggregation and synthetic platforms in the past year.
The Kenya Roads (Amendment) (Number 3) Bill (No. 34 of 2025), sponsored by Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma, will also be debated. The Bill proposes to classify public roads into national trunk roads and county roads, vesting management of county roads in devolved governments.
“This classification is intended to provide clarity in the maintenance, rehabilitation and development of the road network across the country. Further, the Bill seeks to give effect to paragraph 5(a) of Part 2 of the Fourth Schedule to the Constitution,” Kaluma said.
The Bill also proposes amendments to the Kenya Roads Board Act to allocate proceeds from the Road Maintenance Levy Fund directly to county governments for maintenance and development of county roads. Kaluma noted that this will ensure counties have access to funds specifically earmarked for local road works.
Another major proposal is the Privatisation Bill (No. 36 of 2025), sponsored by National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah. The Bill seeks to repeal and re-enact the privatisation framework to enhance efficiency and create the Privatisation Authority.
“The Bill provides for the coordination and oversight of privatisation matters; provides for the establishment, functions and administration of the Privatisation Authority and the appointment and functions of the Managing Director, the Corporation Secretary and staff of the Authority,” Ichung’wah said.
Other key legislation before MPs includes the Air Passenger Service Charge (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to allocate proceeds from the levy to the Tourism Fund and the Kenya Meteorological Service, in addition to the Kenya Airports Authority and the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority.
MPs will also consider the County Governments (Amendment) Bill, Political Parties (Amendment) Bill, Equalisation Fund Appropriation Bill and reports on financial statements. Among these is the financial statements report of the Water Sector Trust Fund to be tabled by Migori Woman Representative Fatuma Mohammed.
Meanwhile, the Senate will resume with preparations for the Senate Mashinani sessions scheduled for Busia County from October 6. Senators will also debate a Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill seeking to enhance the Senate’s legislative powers and establish a County Assembly Fund to boost the independence and efficiency of county assemblies.
The proposed amendment further aims to reduce frequent disputes between the two Houses by granting both the Senate and National Assembly equal power to initiate legislation, either through individual members or committees, while clarifying each House’s role in the legislative process, mediation and presidential assent.
Currently, both Houses are in mediation over 11 bills where consensus has not been reached, including the Employment (Amendment) Bill, Natural Resources (Benefit Sharing) Bill, Equalisation Fund Appropriation (No. 2) Bill, Food and Feed Safety Control Bill, Mung Beans Bill, County Governments Additional Allocations Bill, National Construction Authority (Amendment) Bill, Houses of Parliament (Bicameral Relations) Bill, Coffee Bill, National Disaster Risk Management Bill and the Startup Bill.
The Senate is also scheduled to consider the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal (Amendment) Bill, introduced by Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot, which proposes giving priority to citizen contractors in tendering processes.
“Any procurement of up to one billion shillings shall be awarded to a local firm; a foreign firm shall be eligible for procurement of contracts of more than one billion shillings where the firm has entered into a joint venture with a local firm for not less than thirty per cent of the value of the procurement,” Cheruiyot said.
Additionally, Senate Deputy Speaker Kathuri Murungi will sponsor the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control (Amendment) Bill (No. 1 of 2024), which seeks to exempt miraa from being classified as a psychotropic substance.
Senators will also receive a progress report from the National Cohesion, Equal Opportunity and Regional Integration Committee, chaired by Marsabit Senator Mohammed Chute, on its inquiry into diversity and inclusivity in the staff composition of State agencies.
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