The National Assembly during a past session.
The processing of the Budget Policy Statement (BPS) 2025 and the supplementary budget II for the financial year 2023/25 faces threats due to the protracted war between President William Ruto’s and Mr Raila Odinga’s parties, which has delayed the reconstitution of committees.
The reconstitution of the Budget and Appropriations Committee (BAC) of the National Assembly is critical in the processing of the BPS, which has specific timelines.
On Tuesday, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula informed the Majority and Minority leadership in the House that fast-tracking the reconstitution of the committees was essential.
“I have been notified by the leader of the Majority party and the leader of the Minority party that the Committee on Selection has yet to conclude the nomination of members to the lapsed committees,” said Speaker Wetang’ula.
The BPS and the Medium-Term Debt Management Strategy (MTDMS) were tabled in the House on 13 February 2025.
The BAC and the Public Debt and Privatisation Committee are among the 18 House committees, aside from the 20 departmental committees, that had lapsed and therefore require reconstitution.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula.
“Given the time-sensitive nature of these documents, the interim measure ensures that the budget process remains on track despite the pending reconstitution of committees,” Speaker Wetang’ula notified the House.
Although the respective departmental committees are intact and will process the BPS, the law requires them to feed into the BAC via recommendations, which then advises the National Treasury in a report to the House.
However, it is unclear why Speaker Wetang’ula directed that the BPS be handled by the Liaison Committee, which is composed of all the chairs of the House committees, except those chaired by the Speaker.
The Public Debt and Privatisation Committee is crucial in processing the Medium-Term Debt Management Strategy (MTDMS), which informs the country’s budget-making, specifically regarding borrowing to finance the government’s expenditure projections.
“The leaders note that consultations are ongoing and will be concluded soon to allow for the reconstitution of the specified committees,” Speaker Wetang’ula added.
However, even as Speaker Wetang’ula urged the House, Nation has established that a prolonged power struggle between President Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza and Opposition Chief Raila Odinga’s Azimio over control of key parliamentary committees has stalled the reconstitution of the committees.
At the heart of the impasse are the BAC and the Finance and National Planning committees, which both sides view as critical in influencing government spending and monetary policies.
It has also emerged that Kenya Kwanza is considering having Azimio MPs chair the BAC, the Finance and National Planning Committee, and the Health Committee. However, Azimio wants control of the Transport and Energy committees.
By yesterday, horse-trading was ongoing between the two major coalitions in the House.
Last week, Speaker Wetang’ula ruled that Kenya Kwanza is the majority side with 165 MPs, while Azimio has 154 MPs.
It is this majority in the House that Kenya Kwanza is leveraging to push for control over the much-sought-after committees.
This standoff has led to prolonged negotiations, and as of press time yesterday, there was no clear resolution in sight.
Leader of the Majority Kimani Ichung’wah (Kikuyu) and his Minority colleague Junet Mohamed (Suna East) were unavailable for comment on the impasse.
National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah and Minority Leader Junet Mohamed.
However, a member of Azimio, who did not want to be named, stated that Kenya Kwanza is the biggest obstacle to an amicable solution.
“With the mentality Kenya Kwanza leadership is exhibiting, we may not get out of these squabbles,” the MP said.
Beyond the battle for control, the two coalitions are also driven by competing legislative priorities. Kenya Kwanza wants committees structured in a way that ensures the seamless implementation of government policies, while Azimio insists on strengthening oversight mechanisms to keep the executive in check.
