Speaker Muturi expressed his disappointment in PIC an PAC committees pointing out that unlike the 10th Parliament’s PAC which tabled several reports, the current committee is sleeping on the job and stifling devolution as a result.
National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has criticized the two crucial committees for failing to produce reports 10 months after they were formed.
“The (current) PAC spent most of its time chasing bank accounts, things that they were reading in newspapers,” Muturi said.
Muturi said the Public Investment and Public Accounts committees, as well as other committees, had performed dismally compared to the previous ones.
He has directed Majority leader Aden Duale and Minority leader John Mbadi to meet PIC chairman Abdullswamad Nasir and Opiyo Wandayi (PAC) to establish any challenges they are facing.
“It must worry the House that the two watchdog committees, the oldest, PAC and PIC, have not tabled any report. They have not even indicated whether they are anywhere near bringing reports or what it is they are doing,” Muturi said.
But Wandayi yesterday defended his committee saying he has already completed examining the 2014-2015 reports and his team is running against time to finish the 2015-2016.
“PAC is heading to Kisumu from Thursday this week to finalise reports for tabling next week. We are 70 per cent through with the 2016-2017,” he told the Star on phone.
“At the end of it all, the county governments who are supposed to get not less than 15 per cent of the latest audited accounts of the national revenue as approved by the National Assembly continue to rely on revenues of 2012-2013 or 2013-2014 because we still see the committee chaired by Wandayi excited about small things. Reports of the Auditor General are every now and then being tabled here,” Muturi said in a communique.
He warned that a motion could soon be proposed to compel PAC to consider the accounts of 2014-2015, 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 concurrently saying it was unfair to the counties that they are being given revenues based on the 2014-2015 audited accounts.
“The House has a responsibility to ensure that the county governments get the fair share of revenues based on the latest audited accounts as approved by the National Assembly. That is the constitutional dictate. When you are dealing with those ones of 2014/2015 and then you want to table a report mid 2019, you are not serious,” Muturi said.
“Everybody in this country is duty bound to defend and protect devolution. It is the primary responsibility of this House, through the PAC, to ensure that happens.The PAC is the oldest committee known in any democracy yet it has no report 12 months down the road. What is the justification?” Muturi posed.