Villy A. Magero is a Records Officer at Nairobi City County Government, Kenya and is a Member of Kenya Association of Records Managers (KARMA) and an Individual member of the International Council on Archives.
Introduction
The Kenyan political scene and system of Governance has been through a tumultuous time which birthed development and eventual promulgation of a new Constitution of Kenya 2010 (CoK 2010). The Constitution brought in changes in Governance right from the Central Government and more power was given to the people through devolution which birthed 47 Counties out which Nairobi City County is the 47th County in the Country. The County was operationalised by the County Government Act No. 17 of 2012 of the CoK 2010.
Currently the County of Nairobi has a total of 123 Members of the County Assembly 85 elected and 38 Nominated. They are charged with a responsibility of representing the local Nairobi resident at ward level. The County Assembly is established through Article 176 of the CoK 2010. The members of the Assembly sit on various committees that discuss issues touching on motions, petitions and any other matter that is presented to them as far the legislative process is concerned, they also offer an oversight role to the Executive arm of Nairobi City County. The Committees are the rooms where the actual dismantling of issues are broken down before they can be tabled on the floor of the Assembly to be passed as motions or bills for enactment in the County.
Conduct of Assembly Business through Committees
Assembly Committees are important to help conduct and put a flow to the Assembly business. Through the Committee system the needs of the electorate are put into closer scrutiny and the MCAs role becomes more apparent for the democratic process, they offer an opportunity for them to be accountable and offer representation of the electorates’ views. The Nairobi County Assembly in its current constitution has a total of 25 Committees (12 Sectoral Committees and 13 Select Committees) each charged with different responsibilities. The Committees and the Assembly in itself as a whole are guided by a set of rules and procedures outlined in what is referred to as the Standing Orders.
County Assembly Business during the COVID-19 Pandemic
The County Assembly of Nairobi was affected by the pandemic and business stopped for a while just as the Assembly had resumed its sittings from a long recess in the month of February 2020. The Head of Kenya’s Public Service communicated directives from H.E the President through a circular dated 17th March 2020 on measures of how Government business will be conducted to curb the spread of COVID-19. Among them was the suspension of gatherings and it also ushered in the need for employees to work from home for as long as the curve was at its peak in the Country. The County Assembly just like all other organisations across the world was thrown into a standstill at a time when business needed to continue considering that most of the tasks ahead were bound by timelines that were regulated by other pieces of law.
Due to the foregoing the conduct of virtual meetings became a bug that hit everyone who purposed to rise beyond the challenges that came with the pandemic and the Assembly was not left behind in embracing virtual meetings through zoom. Looking at the standing orders of the County Assembly, I am thrown into deep thought over the legal framework of the zoom meetings, their capture as well as preservation of the proceedings for the long term. These deep thoughts will form part of a research that I intend to carry out in depth to see the impact of the virtual meetings for the greater good of ensuring a seamless legislative process for the Nairobi resident who craves adequate and legal representation in the Local Authority.
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