A submission to a Committee of County Assembly is one way of making your voice heard in Assembly. By making a submission, you have an opportunity to influence the opinion of Members of a Committee who are discussing and debating a particular piece of legislation before it is finalized.

The first step is usually to make a written submission to a Committee. Members of that particular Committee will go through all the written submissions received from members of the public or interested organizations and then, based on the written submissions, may decide to invite some to appear before the Committee to explain their written submission. That is called an oral submission.

County Assembly Committees, through advertisements, often invite members of the public to make written submissions when they are considering a particular matter. The relevant contact details will be contained in the invitation for submissions.

General tips on making a submission

There is no set format for a written submission. Your submission could be a simple letter of support or opposition. It could also be a longer document with suggestions for changes. The important thing is to say clearly what you want to say. The following tips may help you when preparing your submission: