Parliament must be open to scrutiny, says Speaker Justin Muturi

NAIROBI: Members of Parliament should allow themselves to be scrutinised, National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has said.

The Speaker also argued that the most effective form of being a watchdog is self-regulation.

He said Parliament can only carry out its watchdog duty effectively through an internal committee system that checks it by enforcing members' discipline and ensuring the public's will is carried out.

Mr Muturi challenged the African Commonwealth Parliaments to ensure they remain accountable to the people they serve.

When making his contribution at the ongoing 15th Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding Officers Conference, in Accra, Ghana, he urged colleagues in the region to co-operate with stakeholders in the assessment of the lawmakers' performance.

"If parliaments are to improve in their mandates, a person charting a path has no way of knowing whether the path is straight or crooked, unless advised by another person watching from behind," he said.

He was speaking on a motion dubbed "Watching the Watchdog: Proposals on Oversighting Parliaments in Africa".

Earlier, Senate Speaker Ekwee Ethuro appreciated the current relationship between the Senate and Kenya's Judiciary. But, he cautioned the Judiciary against interfering with the work of Parliament.