National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has appointed a seven-member committee to join their counterparts in the senate to scrutinise amendments to the Public Finance Management (National Assembly) (Amendment) Bill.
This after lawmakers rejected the changes that would have allowed Senators to receive reports on the debt status and borrowing by the national government from the National Treasury.
The MPs to sit in the mediation committee include Kilifi North MP and Deputy Leader of Majority Party Owen Baya, who will co-chair and MPs Martha Wangari (Gilgil), Omboko Milemba (Emuhaya), Abraham Kirwa (Mosop), Millie Odhiambo (Suba North), Makali Mulu (Kitui Central) and Rahim Dawood (North Imenti).
Following the move, Wetang’ula said consideration of the business in the Committee of the whole House as was listed in the order paper during the special sitting that was held last week could not proceed to allow the stalemate to be resolved.
The rejection comes after senators adopted the said amendments that would have enabled them to discuss the debt status and borrowing by the national government and pass a resolution adopting it, with or without amendments.
Senate amendments
This is however not the first time the Senate amendments to a Bill have suffered such a fate as previously when such scenarios arose Wetang’ula’s predecessors have applied standing order 149 and referred the Bill to a mediation committee as contemplated under article 113 of the Constitution.
“Conscious to the urgency to operationalize the public debt and borrowing framework, for monitoring the levels of public debt, I urge the members of this House appointed to the mediation committee to earnestly liaise with the Senate counterparts once appointed and commence the consideration of the contested amendments in order to have the bicameral consideration of the Bill concluded,” said Wetang’ula.
Wetang’ula’s communication came after MPs rejected the said amendments on grounds that the proposals are an encroachment on the role of the lower House.
Powers to National Assembly
The 2010 Constitution gives sole powers to the National Assembly to scrutinize, review, amend, and make recommendations on national government spending.
The move came after leader of Majority Kimani Ichung’wa moved the motion to consider the Senate Amendments to the Public Finance Management (Amendment) and called on the house to reject them on grounds that they would be very detrimental especially to our work as the National Assembly in line with the provisions of article 95 and 221 of the Constitution.
He said the proposal to receive reports and pass resolutions on matters related to the national government borrowing, will impact the fiscal operations and financial management of the national government.
He said that the resolutions relate to borrowing which will affect substantial amounts of the national government budgets and operations.
“This will further curtail the function of the National Assembly in the consideration of the national government budgets, when they are submitted every year by 30th of April. That is why the committee decided to oppose the amendments as proposed by the Senate. And therefore, I want to agree that we move this house to reject the amendments done by the Senate,” said Ichung’wa.
Balambala MP Abdi Shurie while seconding the motion, said the Public Debt and Privatization Committee noted that the primary amendments by the Senate would degrade the functions of the National Assembly, especially when both houses consider and most importantly pass resolutions relating to national government borrowing.
In the report, the committee said that it rejected the amendments on grounds that the reporting and resolutions have a significant impact on fiscal operations and financial management of the National government, especially when the resolutions relate to borrowing and affect part of financing of the national government budget.
