NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 22 \u2013 Bumula Member of Parliament Jack Wamboka has been suspended as chairperson of the Public Investments Committee (PIC) on Governance and Education, as National Assembly moves to investigate graft allegations levelled against him.<\/p>\n
National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss Shollei announced the decision in a detailed ruling to the House on Wednesday, directing that the matter be referred to the Powers and Privileges Committee for inquiry.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn order to safeguard public trust in the work of the Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education during the pendency of the inquiry, I am further persuaded to suspend the Honourable Jack Wamboka from chairing the committee,\u201d Shollei ruled.<\/p>\n
The probe will be led by Ainabkoi MP Samuel Chepkonga, with the committee expected to table its report within 45 days, by June 9.<\/p>\n
Shollei said the House was obligated to treat the matter with urgency, stressing that allegations touching on parliamentary privilege cannot be dismissed outright.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny member of this House is at liberty to raise any issue that in their view is a threat to the privilege of the House. A complaint of this nature\u2026 cannot be dismissed summarily. It has to be considered in accordance with the Standing Orders,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Deputy Speaker noted that the allegations \u00a0linked to a complaint associated with the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) and revived through a letter by Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma \u00a0posed a serious test to the credibility of Parliament.<\/p>\n
The Chairperson of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), Samuel Kobia, has petitioned the National Assembly Speaker, Moses Wetang\u2019ula, to launch an investigation into Bumula MP Jack Wamboka on bribery and intimidation allegations.<\/p>\n
In a formal letter to Wetang\u2019ula, Kobia raised serious concerns about Wamboka\u2019s conduct in his role as Chairperson of the Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education.<\/p>\n
The complaint follows engagements between the committee and NCIC officials during the examination of the Auditor General\u2019s reports for the 2021\/2022 and 2023\/2024 financial years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am in agreement\u2026 that allegations made against the chairperson of a committee of the House pose a grave threat to the public trust bestowed upon this House if the same are not conclusively addressed,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Wamboka, who addressed the House, dismissed the claims as politically motivated and linked them to the committee\u2019s scrutiny of the NCIC.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe allegations are unfounded and possibly related to the robust examination of reports and accounts of the NCIC by the committee,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He further questioned the timing of the complaint, suggesting it lacked merit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe delay in the conveyance of the complaint indicates a determination\u2026 that it was devoid of merit. The complaint ought not to have been brought to the attention of the House,\u201d Wamboka argued.<\/p>\n
However, Shollei cautioned against pre-judging the matter, underscoring the need to uphold due process and constitutional safeguards.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny conclusion made on the basis of the allegations alone would be premature and effectively condemn the Honourable Wamboka unheard,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She also raised concern over possible overreach by the committee, noting that some of the issues cited appeared to fall outside its mandate.<\/p>\n
\u201cSummoning of persons or entities to address matters falling outside the committee\u2019s mandate may unnecessarily antagonise the said persons or entities against both the committee and the House,\u201d Shollei warned.<\/p>\n
To strengthen the inquiry, the Deputy Speaker co-opted additional members Sarah Korere and Robert Gichimu \u00a0citing their experience, while appointing Chepkonga to chair the proceedings.<\/p>\n
She directed the Minority leadership to nominate an interim chairperson by Thursday, noting that the watchdog committee is reserved for the Minority side.<\/p>\n
Backing the decision, Majority Leader Kimani Ichung\u2019wah described the ruling as balanced and necessary.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is paramount that we protect the dignity of the House and its committees by first acting here within the House ourselves,\u201d Ichung\u2019wah said.<\/p>\n
He added that the move would ensure fairness while allowing other investigative agencies to pursue the matter if necessary.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is only fair that the chairperson gets an opportunity to be heard\u2026 so that there is fair administrative justice being exercised,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education is a key oversight body tasked with examining audit reports on public investments in sectors including education, governance, justice and law and order.<\/p>\n
Shollei urged MPs to reflect on their constitutional duty, warning that the outcome of the inquiry would be critical in restoring confidence in Parliament\u2019s oversight role.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe complaints received, the inquiry and its outcome shall be a clarion call\u2026 to reevaluate the manner in which we treat and consider all matters brought before us,\u201d she said.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 22 \u2013 Bumula Member of Parliament Jack Wamboka has been suspended as chairperson of the Public Investments Committee (PIC) on Governance and Education, as National Assembly moves to investigate graft allegations levelled against him. National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss Shollei announced the decision in a detailed ruling to the House on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-138615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138615\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}