CHEPALUNGU MP Isaac Rutto failed to take over the leadership of the Departmental Committee on Legal Affairs as Parliament retired for a sessional recess yesterday.
The National Assembly clerk Patrick Gichohi is said to have forwarded a letter by a group of disgruntled committee members to the liaison committee for consideration before the session came to a halt.
Seven of the MPs, who appended their signatures to the letter, are supporters of Rutto who want to become chairman of the Legal Committee.
They include Abdikadir Mohamed (Mandera Central),Mutava Musyimi (Gachoka),Njoroge Baiyia (Githunguri),Eugine Wamalwa (Saboti),nominated MPs George Nyamweya and Amina Abdalla together with Rutto.
The committee will be instrumental in the implementation process by vetting a number of public officers appointed by the executive from time to time.
Now the liaison committee chaired by deputy speaker Farah Maalim and whose members are chairmen of the various departmental committees is expected to return a verdict on the plea by the members to replace their chairman.
It was expected that the committee would have held its elections on Tuesday but nothing happened “We are going to replace Namwamba tomorrow whether he likes it or not,” assistant minister Aden Dualle, who is not a member of any committee, told journalists on Monday.
Yesterday the committee chairman Ababu Namwamba said his committee considers Rutto and nominated MP Sofia Abdi replaced and therefore not bona fide members. “These are cowards. We consider them not bonafide members of our committee because they have been removed as provided for in the Standing Orders. We cannot be scared by people trying to hijack the implementation process,” Namwamba said.
New members of the committee nominated by government chief whip Jakoyo Midiwo attended a recent workshop in Naivasha to discuss the draft IEBC bBill. “Yes we have had nominated MP Rachael Shebesh attending while Sotik MP Dr Joyce Laboso sent appologies,” Namwamba said.
Rutto appeared in Naivasha shortly before the end of the workshop on Tuesday but Namwamba described his presence as a friendly but not official. Gwasi MP John Mbadi has also been nominated to the committee.
Yesterday a senior official in Parliament ,who does not want to be quoted, said the chief whip has the powers to remove errant members from any committee. “Yes members can be removed from committee through de-whipping for qualified misconduct or breach of previllages. It happens time and again in the House of Commons, Australia and Canada,“ he said.
Though other committees will be reconstituted when parliament reconvenes, the Legal Affairs committee being a departmental committee has a life span running for five years.
The Public Accounts Committee, Public Investment Committee and the Local Authorities and Funds Committees live for three years.
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