BY: G.P. MBUGUA AG. DEPUTY REGISTRAR, R&T

MEETINGS Definition: A meeting may be defined as the coming together of at least two persons for any lawful purpose Thursday, November 26, 20152

REQUISITES OF A VALID MEETING The validity of a meeting may be questioned for a number of reasons. In order to ensure that the decisions made are not subsequently nullified, the convenors must conform to certain basic requirements: a) A meeting must be properly convened b) It must be properly constituted c) It must be held in accordance with the rules governing the meeting Thursday, November 26, 20153

a) Failure to properly convene This may arise due to: i. Omission to send a notice to every person entitled to attend ii. Inadequate short notice iii. Ambiguity of notice iv. Omission to state important contents v. Unauthorized issuance of notice Thursday, November 26, 20154

b) Failure to ensure that it is properly constituted i. Irregularity of Chairman’s appointment ii. Absence of a quorum: Failure to muster a quorum Failure to maintain a quorum during the meeting Thursday, November 26, c) Failure to hold a meeting in accordance with the regulations governing the meeting A meeting must be held in accordance with the rules governing the meeting

THE AGENDA The word “agenda” means “things to be done”. FORMS OF AGENDA a) A “skeleton” form of agenda b) A detailed form of agenda c) Chairman’s copy of the agenda Thursday, November 26, 20156

CONTENTS OF AGENDA a) Heading Kind of a meeting Where meeting is to be held When meeting is to be held b) Arrangement of items Order must be logical Thursday, November 26, 20157

c) Items of business No business to be included unless it comes within the scope of the meeting d) Ease of reference Contents ought to be sufficiently clear and explicit to enable members understand the business to be dealt with. Agenda must be numbered. Provide headings and sub-headings to show the subjects to be dealt with. Thursday, November 26, 20158

PREPARATION OF THE AGENDA a) Ensure that no relevant items of business are omitted: Consult with the Chairman and any other officials who may have business to transact Refer to minutes of the previous meeting for any items which were then deferred Keep a special file for documents such as reports and correspondence, which are likely to be required in the meeting. b)Refer to the rules governing the meeting Thursday, November 26, 20159

NOTICES Convening of meetings: a) Preparing the notice of the meeting b) Dispatching the notices to all persons entitled to attend the meeting Thursday, November 26,

DEFINITION OF A NOTICE Notice is a method of communication adopted by the convenor to summon the meeting of all persons entitled to attend. Notices may be: Verbal Press Notice board Broadcast Thursday, November 26,

CONTENTS OF A NOTICE a) Place of the meeting b) Date, day and time of the meeting c) Business to be transacted d) Provide details of the business to be transacted – reports, briefs, etc. e) Kind of meeting f) Date of notice g) Signature of the convenor Thursday, November 26,

ENTITLEMENT TO NOTICE A notice must be given to ALL persons entitled to attend a meeting. Validity of a meeting may be questioned if notice is not sent. Exceptions: Where the rules provide for waiver of notice Where all persons entitled to attend are present without notice Where those summoned to attend are beyond summoning distance e.g. where they are abroad Thursday, November 26,

AUTHORITY TO CONVENE Only persons authorized to do so may call a meeting PERIOD OF NOTICE It is usually provided in the rules. Where it is not provided for, the period must be “reasonable”. Thursday, November 26,

FAILURE TO CONVENE A MEETING This may arise due to:- a) Omission to send a notice b) Inadequate notice c) Ambiguity of notice d) Omission of important contents e) Unauthorized issue of notice Thursday, November 26,

QUORUM This may be defined as the minimum number of persons entitled to be present at a meeting which the regulations require to be present in order that the business of the meeting is validly transacted. A casual meeting of sufficient numbers to constitute a quorum does NOT constitute a valid meeting. Absence of a quorum may arise due to: Failure to muster a quorum Failure to maintain a quorum Thursday, November 26,

MINUTES Definition: Minutes may be defined as a written record of the business transacted at a meeting. Thursday, November 26,

CONTENTS OF MINUTES i. Name of the body – e.g. University of Nairobi ii. Kind of meeting – Tender meeting, Council meeting iii. Place of the meeting iv. Date, day and time of the meeting v. Names of those present including those “in attendance” – i.e. those invited and ex efficio and not as members. vi. Records of decisions taken and resolutions passed (minutes of resolutions) Thursday, November 26,

vii) Records of items of business which do not require formal resolutions (minutes of narration). viii) Names of proposers and seconders. ix) Serial numbers – each item of the minutes is serially numbered. This may be useful where cross indexing of minutes according to the subject matter. x) Chairman’s signature Thursday, November 26,

ESSENTIALS OF GOOD MINUTE WRITING a) Authentic – Minutes must give a precise account of the proceedings of a meeting as they may be required in court. b) Complete – They must have sufficient detail to enable a person who was not present at the meeting understand fully what business was transacted. c) Concise – Minutes must be as brief as possible but completeness must not be sacrificed for the sake of conciseness. Thursday, November 26,

d) Free of ambiguity : Dates, numbers, amounts, quantities, etc must be clearly stated. Documents must be clearly identified e.g. by number. Officials and persons concerned with taking decisions, giving or receiving instructions must be named so as to ensure certainty. Past tense – minutes, being records of what was done and decided must be written in the past tense. Once minutes are written, they must be taken to the Chairman to approve for issue and then circulated to members. Thursday, November 26,

READING OF MINUTES IN THE NEXT MEETING Not compulsory Often “taken as read” APPROVAL OF MINUTES After the minutes are read (or taken as read), a motion is put to the meeting recommending their adoption as a true record of the proceedings which they refer. If approved, they are then signed by the Chairman. Thursday, November 26,

ALTERATION OF MINUTES Once minutes are approved by the Chairman for issue, they cannot be changed. Any errors subsequently discovered should be dealt with formally in the next meeting. Thursday, November 26,

CONSEQUENCES OF WRITING POOR MINUTES i. Members cannot remember or recognize What was decided in a meeting What was accomplished at the meeting What was agreed to in terms of next steps i.e. action items ii. When members cannot remember these items, they may end up going in different directions and meet again for the same purpose. iii. Where there is a dispute and matters end up in court, we may not have evidence. Thursday, November 26,

TIPS ON WRITING EFFECTIVE MUNITES To ensure that you write effectively, make sure that good notes are taken and minutes address the following: i. When was the meeting ii. Who attended iii. Who did not attend iv. What topics were discussed v. What was decided vi. What actions were agreed upon vii. Who is to complete the action viii. What materials were distributed at the meeting ix. Is there anything special that the reader of the meeting should know or do? x. Is a follow-up meeting scheduled? If so, when, where and why? Thursday, November 26,

Minutes must have headings and written in simple, clear sentences. Use positive language. Write minutes soon after the meeting (preferably within 48 hours). Don’t include information which will embarrass anyone e.g. ….then Michael shed tears… Don’t use “he said” “she said”. Thursday, November 26,

THANK YOU Thursday, November 26,