The National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee has been told that the Ministry of Defense signed contracts for amounts above the actual funds received for various projects, resulting in an unbudgeted expenditure of Sh1.4 billion. This is according to a report by the office of the Auditor-General which flagged the expenditure by the Ministry of Defence as unlawful, resulting in a possible loss of public funds. The auditor’s reports tabled before the committee chaired by nominated MP John Mbadi, indicated that the ministry incurred unbudgeted costs of over Sh424 million on construction of Level Five hospital for the State Department for…
Author: Silas Apollo
The creation of the office of official leader of opposition and that of the deputy leader of opposition may soon become a reality after a member of Parliament moved a proposal to have the two offices established in law. Bumula MP Wamboka Wanami, in a proposal tabled before the National Assembly’s Legal Affairs Committee, wants the two offices created in law and funded by the taxpayer. Appearing before the committee chaired by Tharaka MP George Murugara (Tharaka), Wamboka said the office bearer shall be a candidate from the political party that receives the second greatest number of votes in a…
The companies contracted by controversial blockchain firm Worldcoin to undertake the iris scans and data collection from Kenyans may have harvested critical information from underage Kenyans. This is according to the chief executive officer of one of the subsidiary companies contracted by Worldcoin – Sense Marketing, who said that the error may have occurred due to a lack of clear guidelines on Worldcoin registration guidelines. Mr Kevin Olende, the CEO of Sense Marketing, made the revelations when he appeared before the Adhoc committee of Parliament set up to investigate the conduct of Worldcoin in the country. The committee chaired by…
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating at least 231 cases of corruption and irregular procurement crimes involving governors and senior county officials in various counties across the country. This is according to EACC chief executive officer Twalib Mbarak who said that the investigations touch on irregular procurement processes, major corruption crimes and cases of abuse of office in counties. Mbarak, who spoke during a meeting with a Senate committee, disclosed that the Commission has so far received and processed some of the cases, most of which touch on counties in the Arid and Semi-Arid areas. The breakdown of these…
Members of the National Assembly have expressed outrage at the continued incarceration of 40 Kenyan herders of Turkana origin in neighbouring Uganda since April this year. The debate was triggered by a statement from the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, read on the Floor of the House by the Leader of Majority Party Kimani Ichung’wa on the matter. The statement was in response to a petition presented by Loima MP Protus Akuja in which he told the House that the herders had been allegedly illegally court-martialed and jailed in Uganda. And in the statement, the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign…
The National Assembly’s Committee on Diaspora Affairs and Migrant Workers has called on the State Departments responsible for facilitating migrating workers to find ways of working with recruiting agencies to streamline the management of migrant workers and enhance their welfare abroad. The committee chaired by Taita Taveta woman representative Lydia Mizighi made the call during a roundtable engagement with officials from the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services, State Department for Diaspora Affairs, Kenya Association of Private Employment Agencies (KAPEA) and representatives from the Association of Skilled Migrant Agencies of Kenya (ASMAK).…
By Silas Apollo Before he joined politics in 2007 from the private sector, few could recognize or even put a finger on Investments, Trade and Industry cabinet secretary Moses Kuria. Kuria, who had joined politics from a career in banking, first served as a spokesperson and the director of programs in the then Party of National Unity led by former President Mwai Kibaki. He would later join hands with former President Uhuru Kenyatta to form The National Alliance Party just before the 2013 elections, through a relationship they had built and nurtured while they both worked for the late Kibaki.…
The Supreme Court has dismissed a petition filed by Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah to stop the implementation of the Finance Act. This is after the senator and three others had challenged the lifting of the High Court order that suspended the Finance Act, 2023, which paved the way for implementating the new law. Omtatah had moved to the Supreme Court after the Court of Appeal lifted orders issued by High Court judge Mugure Thande in June suspending the implementation of the Finance Act 2023, to allow the hearing and determination of a case filed by the Busia senator to challenge…
Members of Parliament from sugar-growing areas of Muhoroni, Awendo, and Kanduyi have asked the government to speed up the process of writing off debts amounting to Sh128.07 billion owed by five state-owned sugar companies. The MPs John Makali (Kanduyi), James K’Oyoo (Muhoroni), and Walter Owino of Awendo made the plea when they appeared before the National Assembly’s joint committees of Agriculture and Livestock as well as that of Finance and Planning. The MPs were also accompanied by members of the County Assemblies from Kisumu and Migori regarding the revival and commercialization of state-owned sugar companies. Under the leadership of John…
The process of barring retired governors from contesting for an elective position immediately after leaving office may soon be realized after the Senate Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee formally began the process of scrutinizing the 2023 Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill. The committee chaired by Bomet Senator Hillary Sigei began the evaluation process of the proposed law before its tabling on the floor of the Senate for debate. The proposed law, sponsored by Senator Raphael Chimera, seeks to impose a five-year cooling-off period on former county governors’ political pursuits following the conclusion of their terms. The primary objective…
