Uhuru hits out at House teams over Cabinet summons

Cabinet Secretary for Devolution and Planning Ann Waiguru (left) with her Lands counterpart Charity Ngilu at the launch of Huduma Kenya one-stop service delivery shop at Teleposta tower Nairobi November 7, 2013. ANTHONY OMUYA  Nation Media Group

By OKUTTAH MARK

In Summary

• The attack on House committees and judges is the latest incident of hostility between the arms of government and is likely to incense MPs, with Parliament and the Judiciary already engaged in a war of supremacy.
• Some of the Cabinet Secretaries who have been called frequently by parliamentary committees include Charity Ngilu (Lands), Fred Matiang’i (ICT), Joseph ole Lenku (Interior), Michael Kamau (Transport), Henry Rotich (Treasury) and Jacob Kaimenyi (Education).
• Mr Kenyatta was speaking at the launch of an initiative that will see the government offer a number of services through Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK) outlets across the country to enhance service delivery and reduce corruption.

President Uhuru Kenyatta Thursday hit out at parliamentary committees for constantly summoning Cabinet Secretaries saying it is slowing the government’s bid to deliver services.

He at the same time complained the Judiciary was making rulings that made operations of the Executive difficult.

The attack on House committees and judges is the latest incident of hostility between the arms of government and is likely to incense MPs, with Parliament and the Judiciary already engaged in a war of supremacy.

Mr Kenyatta said that while he recognised the oversight role played by parliamentary committees as guaranteed by the Constitution, Cabinet Secretaries were getting multiple summons.

Some of the Cabinet Secretaries who have been called frequently by parliamentary committees include Charity Ngilu (Lands), Fred Matiang’i (ICT), Joseph ole Lenku (Interior), Michael Kamau (Transport), Henry Rotich (Treasury) and Jacob Kaimenyi (Education).

“I am asking our parliamentary committees to allow us to work. I recognise that the committees have an oversight role to play but let’s not frustrate each other. We have seen cases where Cabinet Secretaries are summoned by two committees concurrently, surely when will these people ever work if we continue this way?” asked the President.

On the Judiciary, Mr Kenyatta said the government will not allow civil servants who have been suspended over corruption cases to make a comeback through courts, adding that the government will only pay them salaries and send them on compulsory leave until the cases are determined. It will not allow them in office even if courts granted such orders.

Mr Kenyatta made the remarks in relation to the court’s recent reinstatement of 13 of the 15 immigration officers allowed to continue working. They had been sacked for irregularly issuing documents to foreigners.

READ: Sacked immigration officers get court reprieve

“Working is about getting salary not sitting in the office,” he said.

The Judiciary has been fighting Parliament attempts to sack members of the Judicial Service Commission. Judges have in turn barred the House from debating the committee report.

Mr Kenyatta was speaking at the launch of an initiative that will see the government offer a number of services through Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK) outlets across the country to enhance service delivery and reduce corruption.

Thursday, the president launched the first phase of the project by General Post Office in Nairobi, where citizens can now access 18 services from 10 different government agencies.

The project will be replicated in 46 counties to enable citizens access services such as renewal of driving licences, issuance of duplicate identity cards, processing of National Hospital Insurance Fund cards and having stamp duty assessment done at the outlets.

Processing of the documents will mainly be manually but is expected to be automated in the second phase when the government anticipates that most of its agencies will have digitised their documents