Public Investments Committee chairman Adan Keynan (left) and the committee’s vice-chairman, Mr Kimani Ichung’wa, during a past sitting. FILE
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Public Investment Committee (PIC) chairman says politicians’ comments in rallies against House rules.
The committee investigating the standard gauge railway contract has accused politicians of seeking to influence its work through comments in public rallies, which it termed as sideshows.
Public Investment Committee (PIC) chairman Adan Keynan said commenting on matters that are before committees was prohibited under Standing Order 86.
“This committee will be guided by nothing but the truth. Let us avoid sideshows because Kenyans are aware of who is doing a proper investigation,” Mr Keynan said.
Standing Order 86 states “no member shall refer to the substance of proceedings of select committee before the committee has made report to the House.” Mr Keynan said the team would not be sucked into wars between businessmen and the government after Igembe South MP Mithika Linturi brought the committee’s attention to comments by politicians.
“When you look at the kind of utterances that were made by MPs and senators over the weekend, I form an opinion that we must protect our investigation until our report is made public. We have influence from outside and it appears that interested parties are interfering with our work,” said Mr Linturi.
Mr Kenyan threatened to invoke Article 125 of the Constitution in order to punish parliamentarians who continue to breach House rules. “Committees are open to all MPs or Kenyans with evidence. It is a grievous mistake to anticipate debate on the conclusions of the railway tender. This is interference in the work of our committee,” Mr Keynan said.
The committee launched investigations into the railway tender following complaints by Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter that the award to China Road and Bridge Corporation was overpriced.
The Treasury secretary Henry Rotich told the committee that building the 609km railway would cost Sh447.5 billion including financing costs.
Mr Keter had said the railway would cost Sh1.2 trillion and that the cost per kilometre in the Kenyan case was higher than a similar project in Ethiopia. But Treasury officials said Kenya’s had more components.
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