Pursuant to SO 190 of County Assembly of Busia which provides for establishment of County Assembly Sectoral, Select & Special committees as organs in the working processes of Legislatures, without which, the proceedings of a Legislature could grind to a halt for the sheer volume of activities that would have to be considered at Plenary. They are agents, which enable Legislatures to organize their work in such a way as to perform numerous activities simultaneously and expeditiously on matters such as:

1. Reviewing legislation;
2. Reviewing and approving the budget and expenditures for the execution of governance;
3. Scrutinizing governance activities, policies and programmes, assessing  whether  they meet the intended objectives of legislation, policy frameworks and  development plans;
4. Conducting investigations on special issues;
5. Vetting and approving executive appointments;
6. Providing a platform for public participation in the execution of specified business

Committees are an efficient way of running the business of the House. Well-functioning committees expand democratic governance. Committee mandates and membership focus attention on specific issues and engender meaningful deliberations. Committees have defined mandates and memberships. They study an issue or set of issues and then report back to the House. This allows individual Members to focus their attention on a subject matter,

The Committees enhances the ability of Members to be productively engaged in thenitty-gritty’s of the workings of a CA and so take ownership of its outcome. Members are able to discuss issues informally, are less constrained by party discipline and are able to develop relationships with colleagues who belong to other parties.

Select committees are mechanisms enabling public engagement and legitimization of the operations of the CA. It is a forum for members to interact and involve the public and various stakeholders in the work of the CA. committees hold hearings and meetings that provide the democratic opportunity for various interest groups (academics, professionals and individual citizens) with varied expertise, to participate by presenting their views on a range of issues.

The value and benefit accruing from the use of committees lie in the fact that they perform functions which, the House is not fitted to perform in its corporate form, such as:-

1. Summoning persons to present oral evidence and written memoranda or documents;
2. Sitting as frequently as is desirable, including, sitting away from the precincts of the CA and for longer hours;
3. Availing an environment that can facilitate presentation of details, sifting through evidence and formulating reasoned conclusions, consistent with both the statute and procedure;
4. Carrying out inspection tours, inquiry on matters out of which reports with recommendations are submitted to the House; and,
5. Forming sub-committees for the effective and efficient discharge of varied issues within the mandate of the committees

The functions of committees are more efficiently carried out by small groups of members, among the several advantages of committees include; the possibility of several of them operating at the same time, thus enabling many matters to be dealt with concurrently and expeditiously.

Overall, by concentrating on specific matters or subjects, select committees also offer the benefits of specialization to both Members and staff.

Hon. Fredrick Wafula Odilo – Speaker (Chairperson)

Hon. Ronald Ochalu – Deputy Speaker (Vice Chairperson)

Hon. Josephat Wandera- Member

Hon. Zacchaeus Kubasu- Member

Hon. Joy Wanga – Member

Hon. Julianne Wanyama- Member

Hon. Irene Eduwa- Member

Hon. Denzil Edung’lot Musumba- Member

Hon. Gardy Jakaa – Member

In the execution of its functions, the Committee is assisted by a Clerk Assistant who is a non-partisan officer, i.e serves all members of the Committee and representatives of all parties equally.

The Clerk Assistant performs his or her duties and responsibilities under the direction of the Committee and its Chair and guided by the relevant Laws. As an expert in parliamentary procedures, practices and Rules of the Assembly (Standing Orders), the Clerk Assistant may be requested to give advice to the Chair and members of the Committee should a question of procedure arise. The Clerk Assistant is the coordinator, organizer and liaison officer for the Committee and as such will be in frequent contact with members. He or she is also responsible to invite witnesses and to deal with all the details regarding their appearance before the Committee.

The Clerk Assistant provides a wide range of specialized administrative services for the Committee, in particular, the organization of Committee meetings and the publishing of documents on the Committees’ website.

The Clerk Assistant provides authoritative, substantive, and timely research, analysis and information to all members of the Committee. He or she is the Committee’s institutional memory and is unique resource for Members.

The Clerk Assistant provides briefing notes on the subjects being examined; detailed study plans; lists of proposed witnesses; analyses of an issue with a list of suggested questions; background papers; draft reports; news releases; and/or formal correspondences.

The Clerk Assistant assist Members in preparation of legislative proposals or amendments to Bills. At various stages of the legislative process, Members may propose amendments to bills. Amendments may first be proposed at the Committee Stage, during a Committee’s clause-by-clause review of a Bill. Amendments may also be proposed at the Report Stage, once a Bill returns to the Assembly.

– Clerk Assistant 

– Hansard Officer 

– Commissionare 

1. Quarterly retreat from 24th to 27th May, 2023
2.  Site visits to County installations/sub-sector’s projects/programs in the Financial Year 2022/2023