- Committees of Housing, Transport, and Tourism have had members squabbling.
- House committees have of late been on the spot over a number of concerns.
Image: PCS
Infighting has rocked three committees of the National Assembly amid a concerted push to pass a vote of no confidence on their respective chairpersons.
The Star has established that the committees of Housing, Transport, and Tourism have had members squabbling.
Multiple sources including members of the committees intimated to a bid to pass a vote of no confidence on the chairpersons.
The central accusation is that the chairpersons have sidelined them in the running of the committee affairs.
The latest to face the members’ onslaught is the Transport committee chairman George Kariuki (Ndia MP).
It has since emerged that 11 out of 15 members of the committee have penned their signatures to remove the chairman.
The team recently sought an audience with the House’s leaders where they reiterated their resolve to relieve the chairman of his role.
When contacted on the prevailing row, the besieged MP said his colleagues were best placed to explain their concerns.
“Ask them,” the MP told this reporter about the ouster plot. A senior member of the committee, however, said the politico’s case is as good as done.
“We were initially 14 but it seems he convinced three to back him when we eventually called the vote in our recent meeting,” the MP said.
Kariuki becomes the second of President William Ruto’s allies to face the axe.
Recently, members of the Housing and Urban Planning Committee voted to remove Emurua Dikkir MP Johanna Ng'eno as chairman.
Ng'eno is a key ally of President Ruto and was among the leading lights in the enactment of the Affordable Housing law.
Reports show that the team recently sought audience with Speaker Moses Wetang'ula accusing the chair, alongside his deputy, of sidelining the members.
The members were categorical that the row would be detrimental to the President’s flagship housing programme.
Speaker Wetang'ula reportedly told the members that the House leadership would soon reorganise the committees to avert such fallouts.
The Star has further established that the UDA leadership had to intervene for Tourism Committee chairman Kareke Mbiuki who was also faced with similar circumstances.
Chairpersons are entitled to a maximum of Sh240,000 in committee sitting allowances every month, besides other lucrative benefits MPs enjoy.
Even so, Standing Orders show that the MPs have two or three more steps to pursue before the chairs are eventually removed.
House rules provide that a committee may, by a resolution supported by a majority of its members, resolve that it has no confidence in the chairperson or vice-chairperson.
A member the committee has assigned to lead the ouster is required to report the resolution to the Liaison Committee.
The committee is required to “as soon as it is practicable”, direct the Clerk to conduct an election for the chairperson or vice-chairperson.
“The members desiring to make a resolution shall, through the Clerk, serve the chairperson or vice-chairperson with a written notice signed by the members citing grounds for the intended vote of no confidence,” the rules read.
If they constitute a majority, they may request the clerk to call for a meeting at the expiry of three days after giving the notice.
No signatures can be withdrawn once the clerk receives the written notice for the removal of the target chairpersons or vice chairs.
“A notice by members shall be deemed to have been given upon delivery to the chairperson’s or vice-chairperson’s official email address.”
Standing Orders state that such notices may also be deemed as served after delivery of the same to the office of the chairperson or vice-chairperson as the case may be.
House committees have of late been on the spot over a number of concerns.
A recent review revealed rampant absenteeism among members, with others only appearing to sign for allowances.