A total of 283 bills are pending before various parliamentary committees, some for more than two years without being considered.
The Clerk of the National Assembly Samuel Njoroge has expressed concern over the high number of pending Bills and urged the committees to act on them urgently so that they can be considered by the House.
Speaking during the ongoing retreat of MPs in Naivasha, Mr Njoroge said all eyes will be on the committees when the House resumes sitting next month to clear the Bills for onward transmission to the full House.
Some of the pending Bills date back to 2022, something that has discouraged some MPs who sponsored them from pursuing them any further.
"I would like to use this opportunity to urge the chairpersons of the committees to expedite the process of dealing with the Bills that have been drafted by Members and are pending in their in-tray," Mr Njoroge told MPs during the retreat.
"All eyes are on the committees to deal with the business pending before them," he added.
Mr Njoroge said the large number of pending Bills was a worrying trend and did not reflect well on the House.
Some of the bills have been overtaken by events and the sponsors may either fine-tune them or withdraw them altogether.
Mr Njoroge also pointed out that some of the bills, being money bills, have to go through a long process before they are formally presented to the House for consideration.
He said others are going through internal processes such as checking whether they are constitutional or whether a similar law already exists, while others are still at the pre-publication stage.
Before a bill is introduced for consideration in the House, it must go through a number of internal processes in Parliament, such as being approved by the Speaker and the Legal Department and being committed to a relevant committee for consideration.
For money bills, the Budget and Appropriations Committee and the Treasury are heavily involved in their consideration.
The list of pending bills seen by the Nation are mostly private members' bills, which are usually scheduled for consideration during the morning sessions.
Some of the pending bills include Higher Education Loans Board (Amendment) Bill, 2022 sponsored by Sirisia MP John Waluke, Health (Amendment) Bill, 2022 by Abdul Rahim Dawood (North Imenti), Political Parties (Amendment) Bill, 2022 by Wanami Wamboka (Bumula) and Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2022 by Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba.
Others include Basic Education (Amendment) Bill, 2022 by Mary Wamaua (Maragua), National Social Security Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2022 by Nakuru Town East MP David Gikaria, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Amendment) Bill, 2022 by Mejjadonk Benjamin Gathiru ((Embakasi Central), Transport (Amendment) Bill, 2022 by Elijah Memusi Kanchory (Kajiado Central).
Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2022 Christopher Aseka (Khwisero) Kenya Roads Board (Amendment) Bill, 2023 Kipipiri MP Wanjiku Muhia, National Hospital Insurance Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2023 by Duncan Mathenge (Nyeri Town), Kenya Migrants Working and Living in the Diaspora Bill, 2023 by Lydia Haika (Taita Taveta) and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2023 by Homa Town MP Peter Kaluma make up the rest.
Last year, the National Assembly passed 17 bills that were assented to by President William Ruto between February and December 5, 2024.
During the same period, a total of 208 motions were tabled in the House, of which 157 were passed, six were rejected and one is still awaiting debate.
Seven bills from the National Assembly were referred to Mediation Committees and approved during the same period.
