- The chairperson of the commission and Treasury Principal Secretary are also members of the nine-member commission.
- First to appear before the vetting panel was Mutiso who told the committee that he is worth Sh250 million.
House committee carrying out approval hearing for the seven nominees to the Commission on Revenue Allocation has retreated to compile its report ahead of the Thursday special sitting.
The report should be tabled and debated during a special sitting of Parliament.
The National Assembly Finance and National Planning Committee will retreat to write a report and table the same during the Thursday special sitting.
Speaker Moses Wetang'ula on Monday notified MPs for a special meeting on December 8 to consider, among others, the vetting report of the nominees.
“Tabling of a report by the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning regarding the vetting of nominees for appointment to the position of Members of the Commission Revenue Allocation,” the Speaker said in a notice to MPs.
The nominees on Monday appeared before the Finance committee chaired by Molo MP Kimani Kuria, which is ascertaining their suitability to serve in the crucial agency.
The seven are Benedict Mutiso, Fatuma Gedi, Dr George Jalang’o, Hadija Juma, Dr Isabel Waiyaki, Jonas Kuko and Koitamet ole Kina.
The commissioners serve a non-renewable term of six years and membership is determined by the political parties’ strength in parliament. Out of seven, UDA had four slots against Azimio’s three.
The chairperson of the commission and Treasury Principal Secretary are also members of the nine-member commission.
CRA is constitutionally mandated to advise Parliament on how the national and county governments should share revenues.
First to appear before the vetting panel was Benedict Mutiso who told the committee that he is worth Sh250 million acquired through his business engagements, land and buildings.
The nominee, who resigned from the Kenya Revenue Authority aged 35 years and vied for the Kitui West constituency seat on UDA ticket in the recent election, said ensure that any formula on revenue sharing is a product of wide consultation from all stakeholders.
Midiwo – a medic by training - was challenged to demonstrate how he meets the mandatory 10 years experience in financial and or economic related industry.
“NHIF is purely a financial institution. I was the one tasked to pay the claims to the insured members. I have the competency of the 11 years paying claims,” he told the Kuria-led team.
His net worth is Sh30 million consisting mainly a residential houses in Nairobi and Gem in Siaya county.
Gedi, who was confronted with two affidavits claiming she has no degree and that she is still a member of the Jubilee governing council, dismissed the claims, showing the committee her degree certificate from Gretsa University and resignation letter from the Registrar of Political Parties.
The former Wajir woman representative also told Parliament that she is worth Sh194 million.
The wealth, she said, includes a residential house in Karen worth Sh120 million, a house in Wajir (Sh15 million), 200 camels whose value is Sh10 million and 350 heads of cows with a market value of Sh14 million.
Gedi also owns five vehicles with estimated value of Sh20 million.
Hadija Juma was put to task by the committee after it emerged that her educational certificates and national identification names bear different names.
If considered, she said, her role will be in helping the counties to identify other streams of revenue to avoid over reliance on the national government revenue.
“It will by my responsibility to work with other stakeholders, including county governors to identify other areas of raising revenue,” she told the committee.
(edited by Amol Awuor)