Cord threatens to derail budget

A section of the National Assembly on March 28. Photo/FILE  NATION

By ISAAC ONGIRI iongiri@ke.nationmedia.com AND MWANIKI WAHOME jwahome@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Monday, April 29  2013 at  19:11

IN SUMMARY

• Deputy Minority Leader Jakoyo Midiwo declared that Cord would not submit its list of membership to all the parliamentary committees unless Jubilee allowed it to take total control of the two oversight teams and the crucial Budget Committee.

Preparations for this year’s Budget have been thrown into confusion after Cord threatened to boycott all parliamentary committees until the government ceded total control of three key House teams.

Implications of failure by the government to meet today’s deadline of setting up the Budget Committee could be far-reaching, as the Constitution sets April 30 as the date the estimates should be submitted to Parliament.

The Treasury Cabinet secretary, who is mandated by the Constitution to table the estimates, is yet to be approved by Parliament and take the oath of office.

Mr Henry Rotich, the National Treasury Cabinet Secretary nominee, is awaiting approval by the House before being sworn-in, along with the other 15 Cabinet Secretary nominees.

The Cabinet will then be required to scrutinise the Budget before passing it to the parliamentary Budget Committee.

Yesterday, Cord, the official opposition in the National Assembly, demanded majority control and presiding roles over the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Public Investments Committee (PIC) and the Budget and Appropriation Committee.

Although Jubilee, the majority coalition in the House, agreed to allow Cord to take over the leadership of PAC and PIC, the ruling alliance has insisted on dominating the membership of the two committees.

Deputy Minority Leader Jakoyo Midiwo declared that Cord would not submit its list of membership to all the parliamentary committees unless Jubilee allowed it to take total control of the two oversight teams and the crucial Budget Committee.

“If Jubilee is not going to agree with our proposal to have control over the PAC, PIC and the Budget Committees, then we will not be submitting our membership list for the creation of any committee in this Parliament,” he told the Nation.

Mr Midiwo said the matter was urgent as delays in setting up the Budget Committee could derail the budget making process.

He said parliamentary oversight responsibilities traditionally belong to the opposition and could not understand why MPs from the government side were insisting on dominating the three committees.

“According to the parliamentary standing orders, no committee can be formed in the House if we do not submit our list. This means that there will be no committees until this matter is resolved,” said the Gem MP.

Monday, MPs were grappling with how the country will meet the provisions of the Constitution, with reports that the government was likely to move an amendment to extend the period for the submission of the estimates
.