The bad blood between the National Assembly and the Senate has now become worse after a senator claimed that the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) is engaging in dubious deals which the senate has refused to be party to.
Nyamira Senator Okong’o Mong’are claimed that the commission is planning to buy land from one of the PSC commissioners at a cost of Sh 1b.
The 40 acre piece of land located in Nairobi was to be used for the construction of the Centre for Parliamentary Studies and Training (CPST) to be used for training purposes for mps and staff.
In addition, Mong’are claimed that the commission is planning to vary the cost of the ongoing construction of a parliamentary skyscraper by Sh 1b.
The new building is expected to provide space for committee sittings as well as offices for members of parliament.
He said: “this is a monumental scandal that is being brewed by the very people who are supposed to prepare budget, allocate and oversight the use of public resources.”
Following the allegations, Mong’are told the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Auditor General to probe the said claims in order for the truth to come out failure to which he will be moving to court in the next two weeks.
Addressing a news conference yesterday, Mong’are claimed that the current looting is being done because of the confusion that has been created in the name of mobilizing voters to enlist.
He said that in order to have their dubious deals sail through the PSC had hatched a scheme to amend the law to weaken the senate clerk who has a critical voice in the commission’s finances to pave way for the inclusion of the national assembly clerk in order to continue with their deals.
Mongare said that aside from this the commission which is supposed to work for all the members including senators has been favoring members the national assembly.
He claimed that the commission whose membership is skewed against the upper house has muzzled the senate through overt and covert tactics by ensuring that the senate has little say in many of its affairs especially on financial issues.
He claimed that the senators are suffering as even their salaries come in the same account with those of the national assembly adding that they have to wait for the latter to be paid for them to enjoy their salaries.
And speaking leader of majority Aden Duale said that the current challenges they are facing is because the house leadership was removed as commissioners of PSC.
His sentiments come after last year the National Treasury told parliament to drop the said proposal to to buy the Sh 1b 40-acre piece of land for a training centre for MPs and staff.
When the budget was approved for the allocation on June 15, the impression created to MPs was that the land had been identified and the price secured. |
Last June, Budget and Appropriations Committee chairman Mutava Musyimi spoke in the National Assembly about the matter, telling MPs that CPST had initially been allocated Sh150 million for the project.
The proposal to buy the land for the CPST is part of the bargain the commission plans to secure to host the East African Parliamentary Institute.
