Opposition chief Raila Odinga’s Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition has taken control of five key committees in the National Assembly.
The alliance is now in charge of the Finance, Health and Transport committees, as well as those of Energy, Labour, Regional Integration, and Trade and Industry, in a deal that saw it climb down from the 10 House panels it had wanted to grab.
A protracted power struggle between President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza alliance and Azimio over control of 18 parliamentary committees had delayed the remaking of the panels, sources said.
But after consultations between leaders of the two coalitions, Kenya Kwanza agreed to cede ground and hand over five committees to the opposition.
Despite these moves, differences remained over control of the Budget and Appropriations Committee and the Departmental Committee on Finance and Planning, a source in the National Assembly disclosed.
Each side is keen to control these two committees owing to the influence they have on the national budget.
Strategic committees
Kenya Kwanza, leveraging its parliamentary majority, is determined to retain control of strategic committees, especially those responsible for budgetary allocations and financial planning.
It is understood that the opposition wants to take charge of the the Budget and Appropriations Committee, although Kenya Kwanza wants to retain it and allow Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro to continue heading it because of the potential backlash it would spark if he was removed.
Kenya Kwanza had been said to target Nyoro for removal because he was loyal to ousted Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Nyoro was a no-show in the National Assembly during voting on Gachagua’s impeachment last year. He was also absent when the House voted to approve Kithure Kindiki as Deputy President.
An Azimio source, who did not want to be named, said: “We have been given about five committees. We hope to pass this list by Tuesday next week. It is not a very easy task. Some of the members have been calling our leaders for help.”
The revelations came on the day Speaker Moses Wetang’ula confirmed to the House that discussions on membership of the Committee on Selection, which is chaired by Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, were underway.
Wetang’ula told lawmakers that both Ichung’wah and Minority Leader Junet Mohamed had told him the nomination process had not been concluded.
“The leaders note that consultations are ongoing and will be concluded soon to allow for the reconstitution of the specified committees,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Speaker has directed that the Budget Policy Statement and the Medium-Term Debt Strategy, which were tabled in the House on February 13, be taken up by the Liaison Committee.
He also referred the recently tabled Supplementary Estimates II for the 2024/2025 financial year to the same committee for processing.
He said: “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.”
Compounding the stalemate on remaking committees are internal divisions wracking both coalitions.
Within Kenya Kwanza, members of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), Amani National Congress (ANC), and Ford-Kenya are vying for key committee slots, while in Azimio, ODM, Wiper, and Jubilee members are competing to be placed on lucrative committees.
In the Azimio case, there is, for instance, a standoff over the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), with three members expressing interest so far.
Among the top contenders are MPs Tindi Mwale (Butere), Otiende Amollo (Rarieda) and Caleb Amisi (Saboti).
Said the source: “In PAC, we have a problem there. Three members are fighting it out and I’m not sure if we will get a way out of this.”
Reorganisation targets
Besides the Budget and Appropriations Committee, the others targeted for reorganisation include the Committee on Members’ Services and Facilities; Committee on Powers and Privileges; Procedure and House Rules Committee; and Public Accounts Committee.
The list also includes the Special Funds Accounts Committee; Decentralised Funds Accounts Committee; Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education; Public Investments Committee on Commercial Affairs and Energy; Public Investments Committee on Social Services, Administration and Agriculture; and Public Debt and Privatisation Committee.
Others are the Public Petitions Committee; the Diaspora Affairs and Migrant Workers Committee; Committee on Implementation; Committee on Delegated Legislation; Committee on Regional Integration; and Committee on National Cohesion and Equal Opportunity.
