The National Assembly will tomorrow, Thursday, August 21 convene in Mombasa for its third leadership retreat in a bid to enhance internal reflection and strengthen collaboration with the Judiciary.
Speaker of the National Assembly, Moses Wetang’ula, who will preside over the retreat, said the meeting is themed: “Renewing Leadership Synergy and Comity for Responsible Discharge of the Mandate of the National Assembly.”
The first day will focus on reviewing progress made in fulfilling the Assembly’s constitutional mandate, with participants expected to assess implementation of resolutions adopted during a similar forum that was held in January.
Addressing the House on Tuesday, Speaker Wetang’ula urged MPs to safeguard the integrity of Parliament, particularly in light of recent criticism.
“Our integrity must be beyond reproach. We must be like Caesar’s wife, whom nobody could suspect,” he said during the afternoon sitting.
On Friday, the retreat will extend into a joint engagement with the Judiciary.
Speaker Wetang’ula confirmed that the National Assembly leadership will meet with the Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court to deliberate on strengthening cooperation while respecting the institutional independence of both arms of government.
“We will have a colloquium with the Judiciary to openly examine our relationship, to face each other and to ask hard questions,” the Speaker, who will chair the colloquium, said.
The meeting will feature a distinguished panel including Dr. Patrick Matibini, former Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia, and retired High Court Judge Lady Justice Njoki Ndung’u, and Otiende Amollo.
The discussions will interrogate the balance between parliamentary oversight over the Judiciary, parliamentary privilege and the mutual obligations of both institutions.
Parliament appropriates funds for the Judiciary and enacts laws that directly affect its operations.
The retreat will provide a platform to reflect on this interdependence while preserving constitutional boundaries.
The meeting will also address internal parliamentary operations, with final deliberations expected to be shared with members once the House resumes from its month-long recess.
