National Assembly Opens Fifth Session: What MPs Decided on February 10
By Shiled Jerono | Updated October 9, 2026
The National Assembly resumed for the Fifth Session of the 13th Parliament on February 10, 2026. The official Votes and Proceedings record two concrete actions from the opening sitting: the House approved nine additional members of the House Business Committee, and the Speaker outlined how pending business from the Fourth Session would be handled.
Nine MPs joined the House Business Committee
The House approved Robert Mbui, Adan Keynan, Omboko Milemba, Faith Gitau, Samuel Chepkonga, Tom Kajwang’, Sarah Korere, Joshua Mwalyo and Umul Ker Kassim Sheikh. The Committee helps organise and schedule House business; the names were approved by a motion under Standing Order 171(1)(f).
Some pending business lapsed when the session ended
In his opening communication, the Speaker said motions, statements, questions and certain bills left unfinished at the end of the Fourth Session had lapsed under the Standing Orders. However, 22 bills had been exempted from lapsing by a procedural motion in December 2025. MPs could reintroduce other lapsed business through the required parliamentary procedures.
The opening sitting also referred President William Ruto’s nominations of Ida Odinga for Kenya’s Permanent Representative to UNEP and Francis Meja as Chairperson of the Public Service Commission to the relevant committees for consideration. These were nominations for parliamentary approval, not appointments completed by the House on that day.
What the session was expected to cover
Before the session opened, Parliament said MPs would prioritise health, education, economic management and electoral preparedness. Those were announced priorities, not outcomes of the opening sitting. On February 12, the House Business Committee described the Fifth Session as the penultimate session of the 13th Parliament.
