Embakassi Central Member of Parliament Benjamin Gathiru wants Nominated MP Maina Kamanda barred from chairing the committee of National Cohesion Equal Opportunity during certain sessions.
The MP on Wednesday, August 18, asked Speaker Justin Muturi to bar Kamanda from chairing the committee over actions he termed as a conflict of interest on the side of his family ties.
Gathiru told MPs that Kamanda's son-in-law is the chairman of the Committee of Finance in the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) adding that this raises the question of conflict of interest when it comes to budgeting and accountability.
He further questioned why Kamanda should chair the meeting yet the son-in-law comes before the parliamentary committee seeking funds and Kamanda as the chairperson plays a crucial role in the NCIC getting these monies.
The Embakasi Central MP questioned if Kamanda would not act in favour of the son-in-law and by extension his daughter who is married to the NCIC Commissioner.
"How can Maina Kamanda participate in the committee and be seen or imagined to be objective differently put can he be the judge in a matter where he has been asked to make a decision on whether or no to give money to his son-in-law and by extent, his daughter is the decision not obvious that the father can not deny the son-in-law money," Gathiru stated.
"Can this House be reduced into a people's home running the affairs of this country? What is even worrying is that Hon Kamanda has never disclosed that the commissioner is married to his daughter raising questions on the legality of the decision the committee has ever made regarding the NCIC," he added.
Gathiru gave the House an example of a Parliamentary Committee in Mombasa where the MPs wanted to question commissioners from a government parastatal but they were overruled by the Chairperson.
His sentiments were shot down by Leader of Majority Amos Kinyua who asked the speaker to expunge the MPs words from the records of Parliament unless Gathiru brings a substantive motion in the House.
Suba South MP John Mbadi also weighed in on the matter noting that Gathiru did not explain where Kamanda's conflict of interest in the committee was called to question.
"Are you telling us that before we elect a chair we need to find out whether any of his or her relatives work for any parastatal in this country?" Mbadi posed.
"What the Hon. member would have done was to find an instance where the Chair of the committee has acted in breach of our standing orders but just the mere fact that he's is son-in-law isn't sufficient," he continued.
