• House standing orders demand that changes to House committees can only be made upon ratification by the Speaker or the entire House.
• Minority leader James Orengo cautioned the House not to rely on media reports in transacting its business.
Image: FILE
Confusion has rocked the Senate following Jubilee’s failure to formally inform the Speaker to effect the changes it recently made to the House committees.
Last week, Majority Chief Whip Irungu Kang'ata announced a raft of changes to the committees, purging chairs and vice chairs perceived to be disloyal to the party and its leader, President Uhuru Kenyatta.
But a week later, the changes have not been communicated to the Speaker or presented to the House for ratification, hence confusion and paralysis of the operations of committees, especially those whose chairs and vice chairs were casualties of Jubilee house cleaning.
Senate standing orders state that changes can only be made to House committees if the changes are officially communicated to the House and ratified by the Speaker or the whole House.
The confusion was manifested in chamber debates on Tuesday afternoon when speaker Kenneth Lusaka committed to the Justice and Legal Affairs committee (JLAC) for vetting the name of a non-parliamentarian picked by the Parliamentary Service Commission to sit in the Commission.
Senator George Khaniri (Vihiga), a commissioner with PSC, asked how the vetting – which he termed urgent – would be done yet the committee had no chair or vice.
“Mr Speaker, you have sent this matter to JLAC but both the chair and vice were de-whipped. The committee has no chair or vice chair and the appointment of this commissioner is urgent,” Khaniri said.
Both JLAC chairman Samson Cherargei (Nandi) and vice chairman Mithika Linturi (Meru) were removed over alleged disloyalty to the party.
Linturi, a close ally of DP William Ruto, also lost his slot at the County Public Accounts and Investments Committee.
The Star established that the committee, alongside others whose chairpersons were de-whipped and other members moved, have never met since the announcement of their removal was made.
“There is confusion. Our committee has never met since the announcement was made. Let’s wait until they tell us what to do,” a member of the JLAC said.
Reached for comment, Cherargei neither confirmed nor denied the claim, only referring us to Kang'ata for clarification.
On the floor on Tuesday, Kang'ata confirmed the changes had not taken effect despite his announcement at Jubilee headquarters on Tuesday last week.
“So far, we have not changed any chairman or vice chair or removed anybody in committees but very soon we are going to do so,” he said.
Other than Cherargei and Linturi, Bomet's Christopher Lang’ata was moved from the chairmanship of the Education Committee while Laikipia's John Kinyua lost his chairmanship of the Devolution Committee.
The purge preceded the removal of Kithure Kindiki (Tharaka Nithi), Kipchumba Murkomen (Elgeyo Marakwet and Susan Kihika (Nakuru) as Deputy Speaker, Majority leader and Majority Chief Whip respectively.
Lusaka said the current composition of House committees has not been altered as he was yet to receive official communication from the Jubilee leadership to effect the changes.
Minority leader James Orengo said the House cannot rely on media reports in transacting its business. Any changes made, he said, must be communicated in the House.
- mwaniki fm