Crucial Bill shelved after row over Ringera

The row over the controversial re-appointment of Justice Aaron Ringera as director of KACC forced the Government to shelve a crucial budgetary Bill pending consultations.

Speaker Kenneth Marende told the House that Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his Deputy and Minister for Finance Uhuru Kenyatta informed him of the Government’s intention to shelve the Appropriation Bill.

"The PM and Deputy PM informed me there are ongoing consultations," said Marende. The move followed the backbenchers’ intention to withhold Sh1.3 billion budgetary allocation to the anti-graft body in protest over President Kibaki’s re-appointment of Ringera.

A half of this money, had, however, been authorised in July. Technically, it means MPs can only withhold Sh694 million — the other half.

Mandera Central MP and Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Administration of Justice and Legal Affairs Abdikadir Mohammed had lined up amendments to deny KACC its budgetary allocation by deleting it from the Appropriation Bill until the controversy is resolved. The MPs also wanted to reduce allocation to the Interim Independent Boundary Review Commission by Sh1.4 billion.

Consolidated fund

The Appropriation Bill is a legal mechanism that gives the Government authority to withdraw money from the Consolidated Fund to incur expenditure. Yesterday, the Bill was marked to undergo all the three mandatory stages.

On Tuesday, the Government sought approval to shorten the Bill’s publication date from the requisite seven to five days to allow MPs pass it before they could go on recess.

But MPs rejected the move citing Ringera’s reappointment as a matter that must be addressed before the House could go on recess.