PSC members barred from joining more than one House committee

Committee chairmen and members of the Parliamentary Service Commission have been barred from joining more than one House committee.

This was one of the key changes as MPs on Thursday approved changes to the size of committees that resulted in the increase in the slots available to 642 from 554, making it easier to place each MP in at least two committees.

Departmental committees will now have 19 members and select and watchdog committees 23 and the Budget and Appropriations Committee 27.

They approved the changes to also bar MPs elected as committee chairmen from being in another committee.

Ruaraka MP Tom Kajwang’, who explained the decisions by the Procedure and House Rules Committee, said the move would ensure committee chairmen remain committed to their teams and ensure efficiency.

“This Parliament runs on committees. We want the chairmen to be more accountable and responsible. The chairmen should not be in other committees,” said Mr Kajwang’.

He attributed the failure by some committee chairmen in the 11th Parliament to secure re-election as a result of being in two committees and therefore needing to be in Nairobi a lot of the time.

The House Rules Committee said the decision to bar members of the Parliamentary Service Commission was based on the nature of the commission’s work.

“It was observed that the commission is often engaged in continuous schedules which require the attention of commissioners.

"Further, there are committees and sub-committees within the commission where commissioners sit to deliberate on the various matters of the commission,” the committee said.