Ringera issue was a hot one, says Marende

House Speaker Kenneth Marende on Thursday disclosed that the past fortnight had been the hardest since he took up office two years ago.

Mr Marende said that he, together with the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr Patrick Gichohi, had been under “enormous pressure” in the course of their duty.

Although he did not expressly say where the pressure was coming from, MPs and the Executive remain top on the list of those involved in last week’s debacle over the reappointment of Mr Justice Aaron Ringera to the helm of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission.

While MPs postponed their recess from August 27 to September 16, the Executive had a hand as it insisted on buying time “to consult” to convince MPs not to amend the Appropriations Bill.

There were also some ministers, among them Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka and Justice minister Mutula Kilonzo, who reckoned that Parliament had usurped the powers of the Executive and the Judiciary in the KACC reappointments debacle.

Media criticism was also on Parliament’s nerves with misinformed analyses on how much MPs earned vis-a-vis the time they worked.

“There are times when the media has been less than forthright in their dealings,” said Mr Marende.

Media owners

Mr Marende was speaking in Nairobi after attending a House Broadcasting Committee meeting with media owners and the Media Council.

Meanwhile, PNU nominated MP George Nyamweya voted against the resolution by the parliamentary committee of Justice and Legal Affairs, which he is a member, to annul the gazette notice.

The MP told the Nation that he was the only one with a different view in the committee.