If you have watched a sitting of the National Assembly, you may have noticed that the person in the Speaker’s Chair is not always the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Moses M. Wetang’ula or the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Gladys J. Boss. So, who are the other Members who preside over proceedings of the House?

“Meet the Chairperson’s Panel, often referred to as the Speaker's Panel”. The Panel is part of the leadership structure that helps steer proceedings of the National Assembly and ensures that the business of the House is conducted in an orderly manner.

Established under the National Assembly Standing Order 16, the Chairperson’s Panel comprises Members appointed to assist in presiding over sittings of the House and the Committee of the whole House.

When called upon to preside, Members of the Panel take the Chair and guide proceedings in accordance with the Constitution, the Standing Orders, parliamentary practice and established procedure. That means managing debate, giving Members an opportunity to contribute, maintaining order in the House and guiding the National Assembly through the business before it.

It is a role that becomes particularly important when the House is considering legislation. During the Committee of the whole House, for instance, Members examine a Bill clause by clause and may propose amendments before it proceeds to the next stage. The person in the Chair is responsible for steering the House through that process and ensuring that the applicable procedures are followed.

The rules governing debate help ensure that different voices can be heard, decisions are reached through established procedures and the business entrusted to the National Assembly is handled in an orderly way.

The Chairperson’s Panel therefore forms part of the machinery that keeps the House working, from debate and law-making to the decisions Parliament makes on issues affecting Kenyans.

The next time you are watching proceedings of the National Assembly and see a Member other than the Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly in the Chair, you will know: you have met the Chairpersons' Panel.