The Speaker is an ex-officiao Member of the County Assembly elected among persons who are not Members of the Assembly pursuant to Article 178 of the constitution and the County Assembly standing Orders.
The election of the County Assembly Speaker is the first business of any new Assembly. After the election, the elected Speaker communicates to the Members on the time of their first sitting and venue.
The Speaker is the overall spokesperson of House matters in the Assembly. Being an ex-officio Member, the holder of the office is expected to remain impartial at all times.
Roles of the Speaker in the Chambers
- Moderating of the plenary sessions of the House by ensuring acceptable decorum of and respect for the presiding officer throughout the plenary sessions.
- Adjournment of the House.
- The presiding officer may call out Members on disorderly conduct and punish them as per the provisions of the Standing Orders. The presiding officer may order that a person withdraws from the House or the Committee, if in his or her opinion there are justifiable reasons for the exclusion.
- He selects who to speak during House debates to maintain order. He does this by ensuring all the interest of political parties have been taken and gender considered before a Member is given the chance to speak.
- The Speaker also makes decisions on procedural matters in the chambers such as deciding when or whether to allow an urgent question.
