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{
    "id": 627361,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/627361/?format=api",
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    "content": "(2) At that meeting, Sen. Okong’o was elected the Chairperson of the Committee while Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo was elected to the position of the Vice Chairperson. Thereafter, by a letter dated 17th February, 2016, the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD), through its Whip, notified the Speaker that Sen. Okong’o had, pursuant to Standing Order No. 180, been discharged from the Committee and that the Coalition would be replacing the Senator with Sen. (Dr.) Zani. By letters dated the same 17th February, 2016, Sen. (Prof.) Anyang’-Nyong’o and Sen. Khaniri informed the Speaker that they had also resigned from the Committee. Hon. Senators, on the first issue which is how the Sessional Committee on County Public Accounts and Investments should be constituted, as you are aware, the Sessional Committee on County Public Accounts and Investments is established under Standing Order No. 212 of the Senate Standing Orders. Standing Order No. 212 (2) provides that:- “The County Public Accounts and Investments Committee shall consist of a Chairperson, who shall be a member of the second largest party or coalition of parties in the Senate, and not more than eleven other Senators. It is important to observe from the Standing Order no 212 (2) that despite Standing Order No. 182 (a) of our Standing Orders which provides for the manner of elections of chairpersons of committees, special provision has been made relating to the election of the chairperson of the County Public Accounts and Investments Committee. The rationale for this is that the Committee is an oversight committee and, therefore, one which going by the practices and traditions of our Parliament and those of comparable jurisdiction cannot be chaired by a Member from the majority party. Hon. Senators, you will, however, observe that Standing Order No. 212 of the Senate Standing Orders makes no further special provision relating to the election of the vice chairperson or the nomination of the other Members of the Committee. Therefore, although it was argued by some Senators in the various points of order on this matter that the Vice Chairperson of the Committee should be a Member of the minority party, the Standing Orders are silent on this. Consequently, the general provisions of the Standing Orders that apply to the election of vice chairpersons and the nomination of Members to serve in committees apply to this particular Committee. The upshot of this is that the decision as to which Member of a committee shall serve as its vice chairperson is a decision only for the Members of the particular committee. Indeed, even the decision for the chairperson is still for the Members of the committee except the Standing Orders clarify where the chairperson can come from. The second issue that requires my direction relates to the removal or de-whipping of a chairperson of a committee. As Hon. Senators are aware, political parties are a key pillar of the system of governance established in our Constitution. Political parties, therefore, play a major role in the identification and nomination of Members to serve in the committees. They are similarly bestowed with the prerogative of removing or de- whipping their Members from the committees. In this regard, Standing Order No. 180 (1) provides that:- The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes"
}