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Pokot South MP David Pkosing has been elected chairman of the Public Investment Committee on Commercial and Energy Affairs.
The third-term legislator was yesterday elected unopposed alongside Rangwe MP Lilian Gogo as vice chairperson.
Mr Pkosing will steer the 15-member committee that is expected to oversight more than 120 parastatals under various dockets including Roads, Transport, Energy, Petroleum, National Treasury, ICT, Communications, Water, Irrigation, Forestry and Wildlife, Trade and industry.
The committee is expected to scrutinise the multi-billion Standard Guage Railway contract between Kenya and China as well as the National Fibre Optic Backbone Infrastructure deal that was to ensure the country's 100 per cent internet connectivity.
"Our first order of business will be to hold a meeting with the Speaker so that we can regularise the list of the state parastatals we are supposed to scrutiniSe. Parastatals such as the Kenya Revenue Authority and the Central Bank of Kenya which should be under our ambit are not captured in the list," said Pkosing.
The committee was chaired by Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir (former Mvita MP) while Pkosing served as the Transport Committee chairman in the 12th Parliament.
Notably, the PIC has been split into three entities of Commercial and Energy, Education and Governance, and Social Welfare Committees.
Navakholo MP Emanuel Wangwe was elected unopposed as chair of PIC on Social Welfare and Agriculture while Saboti MP Caleb Amisi was elected vice chair.
"I urge members that we drop our political inclinations and conduct committee business impartially. The work of this committee supersedes any political interests because our duty is to safeguard the interest of Kenyans," Mr Wangwe said.
The committee will oversight approximately 127 state parastatals.
Bumula MP Jack Wamboka was elected chair of PIC on Education and Governance and will be deputised by Samburu West MP Naisula Lesuuda.
The election was scheduled for last Friday but was postponed due to competing interests in Kenya Kwanza Alliance and Azimio la Umoja One Kenya camps.
Lawmakers in the National Assembly and Senate scrambled for placement in the lucrative committees.
There were divisions in Azimio over House leadership line-up which extended to the committees.
Lawmakers who were against the naming of Opiyo Wandayi (Ugunja) and Junet Mohamed (Suna East) as Minority Leader and Minority Whip respectively had complained of being discriminated in the committee selection.
On the other hand Kenya Kwanza legislators differed on the nomination of members to the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC).
