Reconstitution of IEBC top agenda as House resumes sittings

Parliment during a past session. [File, Standard]

Parliament resumes sittings after a month long recess with full in tray awaiting members.

Reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and consolidation of various bursaries into one fund are some of the top agenda for the National Assembly and Senate.

Newly appointed Cabinet Secretaries will have a chance of appear before Parliament to answer questions with some finding themselves in familiar territory having served as Members of Parliament, while others will be making maiden appearance.

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula said the process of having a new IEBC in place is top of the agenda with the selection panel expected to be up and running. Relevant bodies are expected to present a list of their nominated candidates to sit on the panel.

"Having a new IEBC in place is a matter of urgency since we have several pending by elections and also the boundary review process, I urge all those who are obstructing this process to pave way so that the country can move forward, it is risky not having IEBC commissioners," said Wetang'ula.

The Speaker called on the Chief Justice to push for conclusion of cases touching on the reconstitution of IEBC saying the country faces a constitutional crisis if the matter is not resolved soon.

Wetang'ula said consolidation of the various bursaries is a key priority to Parliament since it will pave way for the government to offer free education from primary school to university and the legislature.

The Clerk of the National Assembly Samuel Njoroge wrote a letter to the Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang seeking the ministry's input into a legislative proposal which if enacted into law will dictate how public bursaries and scholarships will be distributed to needy students.

"The Speaker of the National Assembly has instructed the office of the Clerk to formulate a legislative proposal establishing a defined structure for the administration of public bursaries and scholarships, this is to therefore request that you furnish us with any relevant information in possession of the Ministry that may assist in drafting the legislative proposal, including any existing policy document or Draft Bill," reads the letter.

Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka, who has been on the forefront calling for merger of the bursaries, asked the Ministry of Education to hasten the process so that education in the country can be free with proper data showing the names of students and their schools for the sake of transparency.

"Funds such as the CDF should go back to the county governments to ensure proper oversight. People say that governors are corrupt but when oversight starts with the county MCAs, the MPS and the Senators and ensure that there's fine-tuning of the PFM Act, I promise you the fund will work," said Onyonka.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba is set to make his maiden appearance on Wednesday. Ogamba will be required to provide a comprehensive report and update on the progress made on implementation of the New Funding Model for Higher Education and state the amount of money that goes towards education bursaries and scholarships every year.

He will be expected to provide a list of bursary and scholarship schemes with corresponding amounts that the Ministry administers through each State Department; Basic Education, Higher Education and Research, and the Technical and Vocational Education.

Other CSs to appear are John Mbadi (Treasury), Davies Chirchir (Roads and Transport) and Alfred Mutua (Labour and Social Protection).