•President William Ruto’s administration has adopted the style for accountability.
•CS Kithure Kindiki was the first to appear last Wednesday.
Image: File
Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen and his Environment counterpart Soipan Tuya will be the second batch of ministers to appear before the National Assembly plenary on Wednesday afternoon.
The two are expected to answer questions asked by MPs touching on their ministries.
CS Murkomen will be responding to, among others, a question by Machakos Woman Representative Joyce Kamene regarding the erection of a footbridge at the Hilton Garden Inn crossing.
He is also scheduled to respond to a question by Rongo MP Paul Abuor regarding delayed completion of the Riosiri-Rongo University-Cham Gi Wadu Road.
The Cabinet Secretary is also expected to reply to Mwingi Central MP Gideon Mulyungi regarding the completion of construction of Kalisasi-Mumbuni Road, Phase I and Phase II.
Mulyungi also demanded answers regarding the stalled construction of Nguni-Nuu Road and Enziu Bridge in Kitui county, as well as stalled construction of the Mwingi-Slaughter House Road.
The lawmaker will also be seeking to know from the Cabinet Secretary strategies his ministry has put in place regarding easing of traffic congestion in the city since the Nairobi Expressway became operational.
Mwingi West MP Charles Ngusya also posed a question to CS Murkomen regarding the upgrade to the bitumen standard of Kibwezi-Kitui-Kabati-Migwani-Mbondoni Road.
Suna West MP Peter Masara had a question regarding stalled construction of the Kokendi-Arombe Bridge in Suna West constituency, which is also due for a response by the CS.
His Nyatike counterpart Tom Odege also seeks to know why the construction of the Masara-Sori-Agolomuok Road in his constituency has stalled.
CS Murkomen will also be responding to a question by Kiambaa MP John Njuguna regarding stalled road projects in the country, pending bills owed to contractors, and the reasons thereof.
CS Tuya is set to respond to Elgeyo Marakwet Woman MP Caroline Ngelechei’s concerns about massive decrease in forest cover despite the ban on cultivation of maize in forests.
The MP is concerned that the forest cover is going down in Plantation Establishment and Livelihood Improvement Schemes (PELIS).
Tuya will also be responding to a question by Mandera South MP Abdul Haro regarding the impact of heat waves in the country.
Last Thursday, House Majority leader Kimani Ichung'wah said the ministers scheduled to appear for question sessions would be unveiled a week prior.
“As I had indicated earlier this week, I will be updating the House every Thursday on which Cabinet secretaries are scheduled to appear during the upcoming Wednesday afternoon plenary session,” he said.
Last Wednesday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki was the man on the spot with MPs accosting him with a barrage of questions.
Concerns about insecurity in various parts of the country, more so in the North Rift, and how police quell demonstrations featured prominently in the deliberations.
The CS was also tasked to explain measures taken to improve immigration services as well as registration of persons – deaths and births, among other issues under his ministry’s mandate.
Parliament amended its Standing Orders at the beginning of the current session to allow for the appearance of Cabinet secretaries in the chamber to respond to questions.
President William Ruto’s administration hailed the arrangement as one that has proven ‘they are open to accountability.”
Kenya operates a pure presidential system where Cabinet Secretaries are not drawn from among parliamentarians like was the case of the independence constitution.