Stick to your work, MPs tell senators
Leader of Majority in the National Assembly Aden Duale. Members of the National Assembly have accused senators of investigating matters that are not within their jurisdiction. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
The MPs took issue with the parallel investigations that the Senate has been conducting on the Ruaraka land saga, Solai dam tragedy, Kenya Airways probe and several others.
MPs told off their Senate counterparts, asking them to restrict themselves to the oversight of counties
Members of the National Assembly on Tuesday rekindled their supremacy battle with senators, accusing them of investigating matters that are not within their jurisdiction as envisaged in the Constitution.
The lawmakers took issue with the parallel investigations that the Senate has been conducting on the Ruaraka land saga, Solai dam tragedy, Kenya Airways probe and several others.
Led by Majority Leader in the National Assembly Aden Duale, the MPs told off their Senate counterparts, asking them to restrict themselves to the oversight of counties and leave money bills to the National Assembly as envisaged in the Constitution.
“I wish to withdraw the items in the order that touch on bills that have originated from the Senate. The Constitution gives this House the power to originate money bills in Article 109,” said Duale.
They termed senators as ‘idle’ who only duplicate the work done by National Assembly committees.
STARTING AN INQUIRY
Suna East MP Junet Mohammed complained that the National Assembly has presented to the Senate a number of bills touching on the counties for their consideration but they have not even acted on them.
“This is a House that has no role and has gone rogue. They have constituted committees that have no work to do. We must put sense into them, they must know where their jurisdiction starts and ends,” Mr Junet said.
“We see senators calling the same ministers, same Principal secretaries that the National Assembly has been calling, very soon, we will see them starting an inquiry into the sugar issue,” he added.
Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichungwa said there is a lot of theft of public funds at the counties and senators are not doing anything about it.
STALLED PROJECTS
“There are very many stalled projects in the counties that no one has dared to investigate. Senators are just very busy chasing scandals like Kenya Power and Lighting Company, Ruaraka land and Kenya Pipeline Company which they have no mandate over. I think these people are just idle Mr Speaker,” he added
Mr Ichungwa asked what happens when two committees present two reports with different recommendations.
The Senate Public Accounts Committee is inquiring into compensation for land occupied by Ruaraka High School and Drive Inn Primary School since 1984 and 1987.
National Assembly is handling the same matter.
