Raila men snap up House committees top jobs

The Orange Democratic Movement party on Wednesday swept the chairmanship positions of the newly constituted committees following high stakes elections in the National Assembly.

Raila Odinga’s men took charge of crucial House committees that were formerly chaired by their Kenya Kwanza counterparts, signalling the entrenchment of the so-called broad-based agenda in Parliament.

This now places ODM in a unique place as it is in control of some committees ideally chaired by the majority and minority.

The sibling rivalry within ODM, however, played out during the elections of Audit and Appropriations and select committees, with the outcome of the results further widening the rift within the party and the larger Azimio Coalition.

At the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), an intense election held behind closed doors saw Butere MP Tindi Mwale and Garissa Woman Representative Amina Siyad elected as the chairperson and the vice chair, respectively.

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Notably, according to the National Assembly’s Standing Orders, the PAC chairmanship is reserved for a party or parties not forming the national government and forming the minority.

Accordingly, ODM had settled on Mwale as its preferred candidate in a move that insiders revealed had been backed by the party leader, Raila.

However, internal dissent within the party saw another section of MPs sitting in the watchdog committee field Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo as a challenger to the position. For the vice chair position, a splinter faction backed Funyula MP Wilberforce Ounda, going against the party which had settled on Siyad.

The development prompted the intervention of the Majority and Minority whips Sylvanus Osoro and Junet Mohammed.

Before the voting exercise, Osoro was seen summoning MPs and issuing instructions on how to vote. He was also seen hurtling up and down Bunge Tower, and in and out of committees where elections were being held.

Junet who sits in the PAC committee, led the charge in voting in Mwale. Despite putting up a spirited battle, Otiende ended up loosing to Mwale after he got six votes compared to Mwale’s nine. The vice chair, Siyad, got 11 votes against Oundo’s four.

Mwale previously served as the committee’s vice chairperson for the last six months having taken over following the exit of John Mbadi who currently holds the National Treasury Cabinet Secretary docket.

“We have worked together over the past six months examining audited financial statements of government ministries, departments, and agencies. Now that the committee is fully constituted, we have the opportunity to be more vibrant, ensuring that accounting officers uphold transparency and efficiency in the use of public funds,” he added.

The first day of the  committee elections also saw Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro shown the door from the Budget and Appropriations Committee and in his place Alego Usonga MP Sam Atandi ‘installed’. His former Deputy Mary Emase (Teso North) was also axed and her place taken up by Endebess MP Robert Pukose.

Atandi and Pukose were elected unopposed after Nyoro who is now at the centre of a campaign by the House leadership to paint him as crooked and inept.

“Hon Members, by close of the nomination period, only one member, namely Hon Sam Atandi had been duly nominated for the position of the chairperson, Budget and Appropriations Committee. Dr Robert Pukose had been duly nominated for the position of the vice chairperson. Consequently, I hereby declare Atandi as the duly elected chair and Pukose as the duly elected vice chairperson of the committee,” read a brief issued by the Office of the Clerk shortly after the election that took place at 10.30 am.

Public Investments Committee on Education and Governance also voted in Bumula MP Jack Wamboka as the chairperson and Kitutu South MP Anthony Kibagendi as the vice chair.

Wamboka retained his position as the chair while Kibagendi took over from Lesuuda Nailsula who was posted to the Public Accounts Committee.

At the Public Investments Committee on Social Services, Administration and Agriculture, Emannuel Wangwe and Caleb Amisi were retained as the chairperson and vice chairperson.

At the Regional Integration Committee, ODM’s nominated MP Irene Mayeka took the reins. 

However,  Runyenjes MP Eric Karemba was elected as the chair of the Constitution Implementation and Oversight Committee. He was formerly the chair of the Labour Committee.

Departmental committees are today set to hold their elections.

Allies of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua were relegated to nondescript committees such as Members Welfare and the Broadcasting and Library Services committees.

Embakasi North MP James Gakuya who chaired the Trade, Investment and Cooperatives Committee was removed and placed in the Parliamentary Broadcasting and Library services.

Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamucomba who held the reins at the Constitution Implementation Oversight Committee was placed in the Member Services Committee. 

Tetu MP Geoffrey Wandeto also fell victim to the purge after he was removed from the Public Investments Committee on Social Services and the Communication, Information and Technology committees and placed in the Regional Development Committee.

Interestingly, Mumias East MP Peter Salasya — who despite being from the Azimio brigade has evolved into a critique of President William Ruto — was removed from the Agriculture Committee to the Members Services team.