Muturi to rule on PAC’s fitness over graft

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi will Thursday afternoon rule on whether the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will continue exercising its oversight mandate in the wake of corruption allegations involving some of its members.

Mr Muturi, however, has ruled out the possibility of issuing a fresh verdict on the outcome of an impeachment motion that saw PAC chairman Ababu Namwamba survive an ouster last week, arguing that Standing Orders do not allow reopening of the debate on matters that “were conclusively dealt with in the committee.”

He added: “That business (impeachment) was transacted and is finalised. The matter of the chairmanship was spent,” Mr Muturi said.

The partial ruling by Mr Muturi leaves a fresh attempt by nine PAC members to remove the chairman in limbo. If the speaker rules that the current PAC membership is not fit, political parties will be forced to appoint new members to sit on the committee.

Majority Leader Aden Duale brought the matter to the floor of the House when he invoked Standing Order 52 and demanded that the Speaker rules on whether the claims and counter claims against PAC chairman Ababu Namwamba and members of his committee constitute a breach of parliamentary privileges and code of conduct for members.

Mr Namwamba last Thursday survived a motion of no confidence after 13 MPs failed to secure a majority vote (14) for his ouster.

“It becomes unacceptable that members of the public and the media start to oversight us when we are constitutionally required to oversight public bodies on proper spending. It is time his House started looking inwards before we call in EACC,” Mr Duale said.

Deputy minority leader Jakoyo Midiwo said the issue of rent seeking by committee members was worrying and erodes further the integrity of the House.

“PAC is not the only exception. What is happening there cuts across all commutes. We must investigate. We want to know who was paid what. I don’t want my name to go with the greed of one or two MPs,” he said.

He said that PAC should be reconstituted and the chairman replaced with Minority leader Francis Nyenze as is the case world over.

Mr Namwamba pleaded with the Speaker and the House not to condemn the entire PAC membership following graft claims saying he was ready to face any inquiry and defend himself.

“Let us assign responsibility to individuals and not group. You can’t disband a committee of the House,” he said adding that he had shared all information with the speaker on the graft claims in confidence.

Members who contributed to the debate demanded a reshuffle of all committees and scrutiny of committee chairs whom they claimed some were tainted.