Members of Nairobi County Assembly have been granted a new way to hold executive officials to account — by questioning them directly in plenary sessions.

This follows the approval of a key proposal by the assembly’s rules committee, signaling a new era of oversight in the capital.

Speaker Kennedy Ng’ondi, who chairs the committee, oversaw the adoption of the proposal, which introduces changes to the assembly’s standing orders. The committee’s report was due to be passed by the assembly on Tuesday.

Until now, county executives across Kenya could only appear before committees.

With the new rule, Nairobi becomes the first to introduce a system where CECs can answer questions in the full assembly.

This follows a similar model recently adopted by the National Assembly, though Cabinet secretaries remain outside the chamber during questioning.

Standing Order 47 has been revised to outline how questions should be framed, which executive should respond, and how urgent matters are handled. The Speaker will determine how each question is addressed.

As per the new guidelines, "The clerk shall prepare and publish on the county assembly website a weekly programme… and shall circulate such programmes to members, sectors and the media not later than the Friday of the week preceding such business."

MCAs welcomed the move, saying it will improve service delivery and accountability.