Hansard Officers Decry Understaffing, Lack of Resources During HAK Annual Conference

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The Hansard Association of Kenya (HAK) held its 7th Annual Conference in Mombasa County, focusing on the crucial role of Hansard services in enhancing good governance and democracy under the theme "The Place of Hansard in Good Governance and Advancement of Democracy."
Image: Hansard members on a group photo in Mombasa.

Addressing the media during the conference, HAK President George Wanyoko emphasized the need to elevate county assemblies to the level of the National Assembly and the Senate in terms of documentation and publication of proceedings.

“We target to help county assemblies get to the position where the National Assembly and the Senate have reached in writing and publishing proceedings to the public for easy access, through their website,” said Wanyoko.
Image: Geoffrey Wanyoko, President Hansard Association of Kenya addressing the press.

He further urged the national government to allocate more resources to county assemblies to strengthen their reporting capacity and improve transparency.

“We need more manpower in the assemblies to effectively report proceedings. Having less staff has led to overworking. In the National Assembly, we are only 45, yet we need at least 65 to function effectively,” he added.

Cera Kioko, Deputy Clerk in the National Assembly, echoed Wanyoko’s concerns, highlighting the mental and physical toll of the current workload on Hansard staff.

“We work long hours. Most of us don’t even have time with our families. We report to work very early and leave late. Despite having technology, it requires expertise—otherwise, we risk producing inaccurate reports, which is against our ethics,” said Kioko.
Image; Cera Kioko, Deputy clerk in the National Assembly.

She also emphasized the importance of such conferences for professional support and mental wellness. “Sometimes, we just need these conferences to associate with each other, share challenges, and find collective solutions. We may have money, but we don’t have everything,” she noted.

Garissa County Assembly Speaker Hon. Abdi Gure also voiced his concerns over the lack of resources in county assemblies.

“We are facing serious challenges, including limited resources. We don’t have enough equipment or staff to effectively run the assembly or communicate proceedings to the public,” Gure stated.

The conference, which runs from upto May 17 in Mombasa, brings together Hansard officers, county assembly representatives, deligates from African countries including Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, EALA and governance experts to discuss ways to improve the documentation and dissemination of legislative proceedings across the country.



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