Senators ground operations after PSC cuts budget

Senators have grounded their operations in protest against Parliamentary Service Commission’s move to slash Sh163 million from their budget as a fresh supremacy battle rocks Parliament.

The lawmakers have suspended all their committee meetings and activities after the PSC, majority of whose members are drawn from the National Assembly, cut their committee budget.

In a notice to all chairpersons of committees, Deputy Speaker Kathuri Murungi directed them to suspend all the sittings until the matter is resolved.

Murungi is the chairman of the Senate Liaison Committee that brings together chairpersons of all the Senate committees.

He said the PSC reduced the allocation for Senate committees from Sh485 million in the last financial year to Sh322 million in the current fiscal year.

“At its meeting held on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, the Senate Liaison Committee considered the committee budget for financial year 2023-24 as contained in committee paper No. 23 of 2023,” Murungi said.

“And resolved to reject the budget allocated, and to suspend all committee operations until the matter is resolved.” 

The deputy speaker copied the letter to speaker Amason Kingi and clerk Jeremiah Nyegenye.

Nyegenye is the secretary of the commission chaired by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula.

The revelation has reignited the deep-seated sibling rivalry and supremacy battles between the two Houses of Parliament.

Yesterday, the commission held a day-long crunch meeting with the Liaison Committee as they sought to resolve the impasse that has all but grounded Senate activities.

The committees are considered the engines of the Senate, and Parliament at large, as the bulk of the Senate’s work is done in or by panels.

The committees consider bills, statements and petitions filed to the House by the members of the public.

Currently, the various Senate committees are considering 17 Bills, which are due for second reading. Several petitions and statements are also pending before the committees.

The Star established that the senators’ move is the culmination of a silent protest by the lawmakers that has been going on for months.

Recently, the PSC imposed a ceiling on the budget of Senate committees for meetings held outside the precincts of Parliament.

The ceiling was capped at Sh4.7 million per committee per year.

“We have been forced to file our reports at KICC because, if we are to go to Mombasa, for instance, we will spend the entire annual allocation in one trip. They have really inconvenienced us,” a senator told the Star.

In the current year, Parliament – the Senate and the National Assembly – have a budget of Sh41 billion, up from Sh38 billion in the last fiscal year.

Out of the 10 commissioners, five are members of the National Assembly, three are senators, one is an appointee of the President, while one is a member of the public.

Members of the National Assembly are Wetangula, who is the chairman, Patrick Makau (Mavoko), Mishi Mboko (Likoni), Faith Gitau (Nyandarua Woman Rep) and Mohamed Ali (Nyali).

Senators are Okongo Mogeni (Nyamira), Joyce Korir (nominated) and John Kinyua (Laikipia).

Former Machakos Senator Johnson Muthama is the presidential appointee, while Rachel Ameso is representing the public in the powerful commission.

There are 23 Senate committees in the Senate, categorised into housekeeping, standing and sessional panels.

The Housekeeping Committee mainly handles in-house activities.

They include the Senate Business Committee chaired by the speaker. The powerful panel slots businesses for transaction by the House.

Liaison, Procedure and Rules and Powers and Privileges committees also fall under the category.

Standing committees, also referred to as sectoral committees, deal with various sectors of the economy.

They include Agriculture, Education, ICT, Health, Labour, Environment, Devolution, Land, Cohesion, National Security, Energy, Finance, Roads and Tourism.

Sessional committee, which deals with financial counts of county governments and their investments, including Public Accounts Committee and County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee.

“As we all know, we are supposed to retreat today to write our reports,” County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee chairman Godfrey Osotsi told the panel members.

“But that is now in limbo because of the problem we have with PSC.”

The House also currently has one Ad-Hoc Committee that was formed through a motion to investigate the mysterious cult deaths in Shakahola, Kilifi county.

The committee is set to table its report in two weeks, but would now delay in the wake of the standoff.

Since the reintroduction of the Senate in 2013, the two Houses have engaged in fierce supremacy battles as they sought to outdo each other.

They have particularly fought over legislation and budget.

Currently, the two Houses are battling a case in the Supreme Court after the Senate challenged enactment of some 23 pieces of legislation that were passed without their input.

In 2020, the High Court annulled the legislations, but the same was overturned by the Court of Appeal following an appeal filed by the Senate.

Early this week, the Supreme Court gave the National Assembly and the Senate 60 days to resolve their long-standing tussle over the laws.

“We are ready as a court to hear it (the case), so in the event you do not reach agreement within this period you have set this matter, we confirm it is ready for hearing,” Chief Justice Martha Koome said.

“If there is no written consent filed in the court on or before September 11, 2023, the court will give a hearing date immediately in the new term should there be no settlement.”

The senators also hold a grudge with their colleagues in the National Assembly for consistently shooting down their push for a Sh2 billion Oversight Fund.