Wetangula calls out lax NA committee chairmen
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula wants the leadership of both the Majority and Minority parties to rein in leaders of various committees who have failed to deliver in their respective offices.
The Speaker particularly took issue with the leadership of the Public Petitions Committee led by Nimrod Mbai, which has a backlog of work having not dispensed a single petition since it was constituted.
Wetang’ula said Mbai’s absence from parliamentary sittings was impeding efforts to address pertinent committee matters. Leader of Majority Kimani Ichung’wah noted that Tuesday’s session marked the second instance the House was noting its displeasure with the absence of the Public Petitions Committee chairperson.
“I have given up on this matter. It is not the first time that this issue has come before the House, the leadership has decided not to address the issues raised. I leave it to members to decide the fate of this particular committee,” said Ichung’wah.
Power to impeach
Ichung’wah said members have the liberty to impeach the chairperson and elect another member to lead them.
“I will be very available to ensure that happens because that is the only way to make sure that when you take up a responsibility as a chairperson or vice of a committee, you should be available in the House and in your committee to take charge,” said Ichung’wah.
Mbai has been in the news for the wrong reasons in the recent past. Last month, he was caught in a scene where he allegedly assaulted an employee of the Kenya Power following a dispute over illegal connection of power at his rural residence.
He has since been questioned by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission detectives over the matter. The Kitui East MP found himself in another tussle yesterday for allegedly giving a half-baked report on a petition on troubled Cytonn Limited. Samuel Atandi (Alego Usonga) asked the Speaker to name Mbai for taking the House for a ride by giving shoddily done reports even after having sat on the petition for over six months.
