National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale at a past function. He has asked Senate Speaker Ekwee Ethuro to not bother himself about Parliamentary Service Commission Bill, 2017. (Photo/nation.co.ke)National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale and Speaker Justin Muturi have asked Senate Speaker Ekwee Ethuro to not bother himself about Parliamentary Service Commission Bill, 2017.
The two leaders have told Ethuro that the contents of the bill does not concern him in any way, adding that he should not weigh in on the matter as he has been doing in the past.
The fight to control billions of cash has continued to heighten the differences between the two houses. Earlier on, Ethuro has written to Muturi reminding him that the National Assembly has no mandate to approve laws which involve the commission.
The lawmaker argued that it is a bicameral parliament hence the two houses must be involved.
“An administratively weak and dysfunctional Senate leaves counties and their governments without the robust constitutional custodian at the national level ordained under the Constitution and undermines their negotiating power,” Ethuro said, as quoted by Standard.
Duale, who is defending his seat in the forthcoming general elections has, however dismissed Ethuro’s remarks saying that it is not provided in the constitution of this nation.
The legislator has affirmed that National Assembly is not going to allow Ethuro meddle into issues that do not concern the state ahead of the forthcoming general elections
“...there is no provision in the Constitution designating the Clerk of the Senate, or any other officer for that matter, as an accounting officer. Article 127(3) of the Constitution only designates the Clerk of the Senate as the Secretary to the Commission and curiously stops at that designation. Matters of who is to hold accounting powers are left to the wisdom of the legislature,” stated Duale, who has been a strong supporter of Jubilee government.