Members of Parliament will no longer be allowed to usher in or escort witnesses summoned by House Committees for investigations.
Speaker of the National Assembly Justin Muturi yesterday, in a communication to the lawmakers, told the MPs that they should relate with witnesses called before committees strictly at “arms length”.
The directive is one of many far-reaching regulations handed down to parliamentary Committees following an earlier directive warning MPs against being too cosy with persons summoned by House Committees during investigations.
Muturi opined that Committee meetings should not appear to be a sanitizing exercise.
During the probe of contraband sugar by a joint Committee of Trade and Agriculture, MPs were captured scrambling for an opportunity to greet witnesses who appeared before them.
Mr Muturi barred MPs from ushering in persons appearing before the committee and escorting them out after the interaction, saying that duty squarely rests with the secretariat or the sergeant-at-arms.
The Speaker, at the same time, directed that, where persons who are being investigated are charged in court and prosecution has started, Committees should not invite the person to appear before them unless there is new information different from that being prosecuted in court.
