Marende rejects MPs move on MRC

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Speaker Kenneth Marende has rejected politicians’ attempts to form House teams to deliberate on the grievances of the proscribed Mombasa Republican Council May 29, 2012. FILE 

By ALPHONCE SHIUNDU ashiundu@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Tuesday, May 29  2012 at  18:16

Speaker Kenneth Marende has rejected politicians’ attempts to form House teams to deliberate on the grievances of the proscribed Mombasa Republican Council

He said there was no point of having ad hoccommittees when the House itself had substantive committees that are mandated, under House rules, to handle issues of marginalisation and security.

Mr Marende said the ad hoc committees are strictly tasked with investigating “emerging matters that are not provided for in rules of procedure and for which existing Committees of the House have no direct mandate”.

The Speaker said the Committee on Equal Opportunity, should team up with the committee on Administration and National Security in the investigations “on all matters relating to the outlawed Mombasa Republican Council within sixty days”.

“The Joint Committee should identify the grievances of the group, the root causes of those complaints and make appropriate recommendations urging specific policy action on the issues identified within the ambit of the Constitution and the law,” Mr Marende told the House.

With that, the two motions that had been dispatched to the Speaker’s Office, seeking his approval for the formation of the ad hoc committees to deal with the MRC and its grievances, are now dead.

The Speaker also put a stop to the emerging culture of MPs rushing to form ad hoc committees saying Parliament had no money to cater for such committees.

“An Ad hoc Committee has financial implications and in view of the fact that we are coming to the close of the financial year the required expenses to meet the activities of such a Committee are not sustainable under the current resources and budget,” Mr Marende said.

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MPs pocket Sh5,000 for every committee meeting, and they are paid, a per diem for every trip they take out of Nairobi, and if they’re going to an area where plane service is available, the MPs travel by air. Sometimes, in the course of the committee meetings, the MPs also seek to travel abroad.

What they have been doing with the ad hoc committees, for example, the one that investigated the rise in the cost of living; and the one that probed last year’s rapid slide of the shilling, is to seek, say 60 days to do the investigation. Once that is granted, they delay and go back to the House for an extension.

ODM had sponsored one motion through its parliamentary group secretary Ababu Namwamba. On the other hand, Jeremiah Kioni, who is allied to the UDF, had proposed a similar motion. ODM’s party leader Raila Odinga, and his estranged deputy Musalia Mudavadi, had visited the Coast a few weeks back and wooed the MRC with promises that their grievances would be investigated.

President Kibaki and Police Commissioner Matthew Iteere have both denounced the group. Mr Iteere went on to call the group and its supporters “outlaws”. But the group said it is not engaged in violent criminal activity and wants its ban quickly lifted.