Nairobi — The outgoing Clerk of the National Assembly Michael Sialai has officially handed over to his successor, Serah Kioko.

Speaking during the ceremony, Sialai thanked the National Assembly Service Board for its support that has seen it make great strides in responding better to Members' needs.

"I wish to sincerely thank you for your support during my tenure as Clerk. Together we have managed to do a lot and am happy that we have managed to mainstream our services to respond to the needs of our Members and the citizenry in general," he said during a handover ceremony that took place on Monday during a National Assembly Service Board meeting.

On its part, the Board lauded Sialai for leaving a mark of legacy during his tour of duty.

It singled out the structuring of directorates and departments in the National Assembly which has created opportunities for upward mobility of staff hence motivating them, and the alignment of skills to match tasks to respond better to the execution of the mandate of the National Assembly.

It wished him well in his next assignment but urged him to become an ambassador of the National Assembly of Kenya despite his exit from the legislature.

Sialai who is set to join Foreign Service as Kenya's Ambassador to Namibia later next month was first appointed as a First Clerk Assistant of the National Assembly in 1996 and rose through the ranks to the position of Deputy Clerk.

He was appointed as the Clerk of the National Assembly in 2017, a position he held until his nomination by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Kioko is currently the Deputy Clerk in the National Assembly, Parliament of Kenya where she oversees directorates and departments dealing with matters relating to the procedure and business of the National Assembly.

During her 28-year period of service, she has served in various capacities including as the pioneer Director for Legislative and Procedural Services in the Senate; setting up and coordinating Senate operations, from the scratch, as the head of the core directorate.