Looming row in Parliament over oversight committees

A showdown is expected in the National Assembly today as lawmakers converge to reconstitute House committees. Kenya Kwanza and Azimio are supposed to forward the names of nominees to 18 committees for consideration.
Following Wetang’ula’s directive, the matter has been listed as a tentative business in the order paper for tomorrow (Tuesday) where Ichung’wah, the chairperson of the committee on selection, is supposed to table the nominees in the House.
MPs loyal to ousted Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua are among those targeted for ousting.
“I wish to bring to the attention of the House that the term of the eighteen committees had lapsed,” Wetang’ula said.
The House speaker told the National Assembly that he was aware that at the beginning of last week, the clerk had written to the leadership of the majority and the minority parties to expedite the process of reconstituting the affected committees.
However, the process of reorganising the 18 committees could hit a deadlock over the current stalemate over the majority party.
Azimio last week rejected Wetang’ula’s ruling that President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza has 165 members thus is the majority while Azimio headed by Raila Odinga has 145 thus is the minority.
The coalition recalled its members to the House Business Committee (HBC), which sets the agenda of the House after Azimio protested over Wetang’ula’s ruling.
Azimio’s HBC members include Robert Mbui (Kathiani), Adan Keynan (Eldas), Tom Kajwang (Ruaraka) and Sarah Korere (Laikipia North).
Keynan and Korere are members of Jubilee party and have been on record supporting President Ruto.
Azimio is supposed to hold its Parliamentary Group anytime from today after it postponed the meeting from last week due to the absence of the members who had travelled to Addis Ababa, ahead of the African Union Commission election, where former Prime Minister Raila Odinga was vying for the chairperson position.
The PG comes after the opposition MPs led by Mohammed and Suba South MP Millie Odhiambo threatened to kick-start plans to oust Wetang’ula for declaring Kenya Kwanza the majority.
“It is going to be messy, noisy and it is going to have casualties. From the way Parliament is being handled it is getting smelly, we don’t see any broad-based action in Parliament,” Junet said.
The Budget and Appropriations Committee (BAC), chaired by Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, is among the 18 committees targeted for reconstitution.
Before the National Assembly went on recess, those targeted for ouster included Nyoro, Edward Muriu (Gatanga) and Njeri Maina (Kirinyaga Woman Rep), who are members of the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee.
Also targeted is James Gakuya (Embakasi North), who chairs the Trade Committee and Gathoni Wamuchomba, who chairs the Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee along with 13 other MPs.
Nyoro, who in the past has been loyal to President William Ruto is on the chopping board due to his decision to skip the National Assembly voting on the impeachment of Gachagua as well as due to his absence during the voting of Deputy President Kithure Kindiki.
Apart from BAC, the others that are targeted for re-organisation include the Committee on Members’ Services and Facilities, the Committee of Powers and Privileges, the Procedure & House Rules Committee, the Public Accounts Committee, Special Funds Accounts Committed, Decentralised Funds Accounts, the Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education, Public Investments Committee on Commercial Affairs and Energy, Public Investments Committee on Social Services, Administration & Agriculture, Budget and Appropriations Committee and Public Debt and Privatization Committee.
Other commitees are the Public Petitions, the Diaspora Affairs and Migrant Workers, Committee on Implementation, the Committee on Delegated Legislation, the Committee on Regional Integration and the Committee on National Cohesion and Equal Opportunity.