Nairobi, Kenya: CORD MPs were on Tuesday elected to chair Parliament’s watchdog committees, the Public Accounts Committee ( PAC) and Public Investment Committee ( PIC).
The elections saw Jubilee MPs take vice chair positions in the two committees.
Budalangi MP Ababu Namwamba was elected to chairPAC after beating Nyatike MP Omondi Anyanga 16 votes to 10.
Cecily Mbarire was elected vice chair of PAC. She defeated Joseph Manji and Andrew Mwadime.
Adan Keynan was elected to chair PIC while Antony Kimani will be his vice.
Source: standardmedia.co.ke
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In 2013, following Kenya’s general elections held in March that year, the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD), which became the official opposition, was given the responsibility to chair key parliamentary watchdog committees in the National Assembly.
These key watchdog committees included:
Public Accounts Committee (PAC) – Responsible for examining the accounts showing the appropriation of the sums voted by Parliament to meet public expenditure.
Public Investments Committee (PIC) – Tasked with examining the working of public investments and ensuring state corporations operate efficiently and in accordance with the law.
This arrangement was in line with parliamentary tradition and the need to enhance checks and balances by ensuring that opposition parties hold the government accountable through leadership of key oversight committees.
Notably:
Budalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba (CORD) was appointed as the chair of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Eldas MP Adan Keynan (CORD) was appointed as the chair of the Public Investments Committee (PIC).
This move was seen as a step toward strengthening democratic oversight in Kenya’s governance, allowing the opposition to play a crucial role in scrutinizing government spending and investment.
