Africa-Press – Kenya. Speaker of Nairobi assembly Ken Ngóndi has asked the city MCAs to step up efforts of oversight on the governor Johnson Sakaja administration.
He said though they had done much, their efforts were yet to be satisfactory.
Through communication from the chairperson, the speaker said though the MCAs had processed reports and papers in the committees for processing in the house, so much still remained outstanding and that there was need for vigor and diligence in handling matters of oversight on the executive.
He said the MCAs were yet to handle as much motions and bills that would be commensurate with the support they receive and the expectations of Nairobi residents.
“…I register my commendation to the committees for renewed energy and efforts towards their respective mandates demonstrated through the tabling of a number of reports in the run-up to the last adjournment. […]. However, this should not obscure us from the fact that we are yet to achieve our targets and aspirations…” he said.
The targets and aspirations, he said, relates to “the number of motions, number of bills, number of statements responded to, the number of reports of auditor general scrutinised and number of petitions processed and meeting timelines.”
So far, according to the assembly’s online portal where its secretariat reports its work and publish document show that the assembly has 67 papers laid before it dispensed from committees, five petitions from various city residents pending before it, and only one bill, being the finance bill processed by it.
The speaker did not indicate the specific targets in terms of numbers that the assembly has set for the members and the committees as output.
The finance bill is the constitutive law that enables crafting of the budget by the executive and which the house recently passed.
Further, the speaker also encouraged members to ramp up the industry of the committees, describing them as the engine of the house and that the plenary is merely an exhibition of the work already done by the panels.
“….I note that the committees are the driving force behind legislatures. They feed the exhibition which is the plenary. May I call on committee not to relent in execution of their mandates,” he said.
He added that as the committees passed the current year’s budget, they should “step up their oversight role to ensure that [it is] executed in accordance to the laid down plans.”
He went on,” Indeed, it is the duty of committees to engage respective sectors and call for regular implementation reports in accordance with Article 183 (3) of the constitution and section 166 of the PFM Act 2012 […] and present the reports to the plenary for consideration.”
At the same time, the speaker told the MCAs that all their registration for the devolution conference coming up mid this month were already paid up by the executive and all they need is to show up.
This however brings to question the independence of the city legislature to conduct a thorough oversight of the executive that it depends on to facilitate their movement to the conference.
He also said his office had already placed requisition with the office of controller of budgets to release Sh211 million to cater for the pending allowances and per diems of the politicians and their staff for concluded financial year.
He told them that all their pending allowances and the travel per diems will be settled in full when the new budget is loaded onto and reflects in the IFMIS system.
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