MPs back to holding committees outside Parliament, tax payers bear the brunt

Parliament Session after the long recess.February 11th,2025. [Elvis Ogina, Standard] Parliamentary committees are once again holding meetings outside the precincts of Bunge, despite the National Government's insistence on austerity measures. Taxpayers may now be forced to dig deeper into their pockets to finance these meetings at high-end hotels. In addition to covering sitting allowances, they will also need to pay for conference facility fees and accommodation- if necessary- for legislators in both the National Assembly and the Senate. An analysis by The Standard has revealed that despite the Sh9.9 billion Bunge Towers facility-constructed through successive Parliaments to provide legislators with more space for their meetings-some committees have temporarily moved their operations to luxurious hotels both within and outside the capital. Notably, while both Houses are on short recess, committee sittings continue. Some of the Hotels that committees have visited recently include Four Points by Sheraton- JKIA, Hilton Garden Inn, Mombasa Road (Pavilion Suite) and Holiday Inn, Two Rivers Mall. Since Monday, March 24, the National Assembly Committee on Blue Economy, Water and Irrigation has shifted its operations from Bunge Towers to the Hilton Garden Inn on Mombasa Road (Pavilion Suite). There, they have been meeting and continue to meet various stakeholders to discuss issues such as the consideration of the protocol amending the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the World Trade Organization (specifically, the agreement on fisheries subsidies). The committee's engagement will last a total of four days, during which it will meet with Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, and even experts. The Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education is also currently holding meetings with state agencies, public universities, and institutions at the Holiday Inn at Two Rivers Mall in Kiambu County. This undertaking began on Tuesday, March 25, and will run through to Thursday, March 27. At the Senate, the Finance and Budget Committee held a meeting with the Commission on Revenue Allocation on Monday at Four Points by Sheraton, JKIA. Two weeks earlier, the committee had also held a similar engagement at the same venue. "...to deliberate on the fourth basis of revenue sharing among county governments," read a media invite seen by The Standard. The Administration and Internal Security Committee also held meetings at Glee Hotel in Kiambu County on March 6. The agenda was the consideration of Supplementary Estimates II. Further investigations revealed that the National Assembly Defense, National Intelligence, and Foreign Relations Committee is currently in Mombasa, in conjunction with the Ministry, conducting special visits. Information obtained by The Standard reveals that the hosting a conference at the Four Points by Sheraton - JKIA Hotel will cost approximately Sh3,800 per person or more, depending on the dates. This price includes early, mid-morning, and afternoon tea, lunch and the meeting venue. Given that some committees are holding consecutive sittings for four to five days, they may be forced to arrange accommodation for the duration of the sessions. For example, accommodatio at Four-Points by Sheraton will cost approximately Sh19, 400 ($150) per night or more, depending on the dates and the number of people involved. When you multiply this by the number of MPs in a committee- ranging from 21 upwards, including staff members- you can see the total cost adds up quickly. Additionally, MPs are entitled to committee sitting allowances. The chairperson receives Sh15,000 per sitting, with a maximum of Sh240,000. Vice Chairpersons receive Sh12,000 per sitting, with a monthly cap of Sh192,000. Committee members receive Sh7,500 per sitting, with a maximum monthly allowance of Sh120,000. National Assembly Clerk Samuel Njoroge, however, defended the sittings held outside Parliament, explaining that the available rooms to accommodate the committees were insufficient. While noting that there was no order prohibiting a committee from holding a sitting outside Parliament, Njoroge emphasized that Parliament had made efforts to reduce the frequency and cost of committees sitting outside. "We have been able to reduce committee sittings outside of Parliament by 90 percent," he explained. "We have a total of 44 committees, but only 18 committee rooms (for the National Assembly) in both Bunge Towers and the main Parliament precincts. If all committees were to sit at once, we'd have to limit their sitting time or, alternatively, allow them to meet elsewhere," he added. Notably, of the 28 available committee meeting rooms, 18 are reserved for the Senate while 10 are for the National Assembly. The Clerk further explained that some of the meetings held outside Parliament were co-funded by partners or ministries, which allowed the August House to conduct critical business despite a strained budget. Clerk of the Senate Jeremiah Nyegenye assured that no Senate committee was holding "ordinary" sittings outside of Parliament. "With the advent of Bunge Towers, no ordinary meetings have been held outside the precinct. As for the the Finance Committee, it had retreated for report writing but also decided to hear from the stakeholders," Nyegenye said.

MPs back to holding committees outside Parliament, tax payers bear the brunt

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