Statehouse tells cabinet secretaries not to appear before parliament’s general oversight committee

National Assembly’s committee on general oversight may not hold its inaugural session to interrogate cabinet secretaries  on Tuesday. This is  after Statehouse instructed all CSs to keep off the meetings so as to allow for further consultation.

The Statehouse said that there are some outstanding legal issues that should be addressed before cabinet secretaries appear in parliament. However, Justin Muturi, the speaker of National Assembly insists that the meetings will go on as scheduled

The Law Society of Kenya and the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC) maintain that the move by parliament to summon cabinet secretaries to appear before the floor of the house negates the principal of separation of powers. CIC has instructed its lawyers to go to court and block cabinet secretaries from appearing before the National Assembly committee terming the move as unconstitutional.

Lands cabinet secretary Charity Ngilu, Joseph Ole Lenku of interior and their education counterpart, Prof Jacob Kaimenyi were supposed to be the first to be grilled. Ngilu was supposed to answer questions about irregular sub-division and allocation of land at the coast

Interior CS, Ole Lenku, was supposed to answer questions on cattle rustling in Baringo and the formula used in demarcating sub counties. On his part, Jacob Kaimenyi was supposed to explain what action he had taken against school heads who are withholding KCSE certificates contrary to a government directive.

Parliament recently amended standing orders to have the CSs appear before the house and respond to questions raised by MPs. However, the directive by statehouse to the cabinet secretaries is bound to cause tension between the two arms of government despite earlier assurance that the process will not be abused