Business Daily (Nairobi)
Mwaura Kimani
30 April 2008
Excesses of the Grand Coalition Government will now be checked by Parliament following the formation of several watchdog committees.
There were fears the formation of the crucial organs would be difficult or impossible when a new political dispensation came into force, leaving Parliament without an Official Opposition.
Leader of Government Business, Kalonzo Musyoka, yesterday unveiled a list of at least 90 members who will constitute the different committees - drawn particularly from the MPs who were not named to the Cabinet a month ago.
The constitution of the committees, chief among them the Public Accounts (PAC) and Public Investment committee (PIC) and others, had been complicated by the grand coalition, which has roped in all parties into Government.
By grouping the five largest parties - ODM, PNU, ODM Kenya, Narc Kenya and Kanu - into government, this distinction has been blurred.
Among other roles, the PAC supervises how state corporations spend and invest the billions of shillings allocated to them every financial year.
In the absence of a credible PAC and PIC, there is the danger of the Government having a field day as far as spending public money goes.
According to the House Standing Orders, there should be a balance in numbers between the Government and Opposition in the composition of other departmental committees, directly linked to ministries.
Analysts said the new hybrid government was likely to confuse committee membership and ultimately usher in the reality of committees endorsing Bills through collective nod.
The complications of the Grand Coalition had delayed the naming of the members to the committees, as the 20-member House Business Committee - chaired by Mr Musyoka and charged with the authority of constituting the committees - grappled with membership.
Traditionally, House committees are chaired by MPs from the Opposition but comprise of back-benchers from all parliamentary parties based on their numerical strength.
The law, for example, requires that the PIC and PAC be chaired by Opposition MPs, who should also get a share of seats in other House committees.
These provisions have been rendered irrelevant under the current political dispensation leaving successful lobbying as the only viable means of assuming leadership of the committees.
A group of MPs have grouped to ask House Speaker Kenneth Marende to allow them to form what they call 'Grand Opposition.'
Standing orders require that only a party with not less than 30 MPs can be recognised as the Official Opposition. But Mr Marende said MPs have to amend the Standing Orders and the Constitution to allow a coalition to form an Official Opposition.
Among the coveted and most influential are the PIC, PAC, Parliamentary Service Commission and the Departmental Committee on the Administration of Justice and Legal Affairs.
Jostling for positions in these committees is normally bruising, informed by the fact that they offer MPs the opportunity to influence or shape proposed legislation through detailed scrutiny before they are tabled before the House.
For direct benefits, MPs earn huge allowances for attending committee meetings in addition to a regular pay of Sh850,000 per month.
Among the urgent issues Parliament is expected to deal with are the passing of key financial and economic Bills, including a 2007/ 2008 Supplementary estimates that Finance minister Amos Kimunya tabled before the House on Tuesday.
MPs began debate on the Estimates yesterday and an approval on the Sh27 billion Mini-Budget would give Treasury authority to spend the funds in the next two months before the year ends.
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