Mbadi, Aden in race to lead PAC

Two ODM lawmakers have declared their intention to vie for chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.

MPs Abdikadir Omar Aden (Balambala) and John Mbadi (Suba) declared their candidature after the National Assembly approved the list of 29 members of the powerful oversight committee, which features six new faces.

Both told the Nation they are fit for the job, which is reserved for the Minority side. However, Cord has fewer members in the committee.

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi ordered the newly constituted committee to hold its first meeting within seven days. The chairman and his deputy will be elected at that meeting.

Mr Aden has a Masters in International Business and was the head of trade for Eastern Africa at British American Tobacco before he was elected MP for Balambala in Garissa County.

The first-term MP is also ODM’s organising secretary and is a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee. He is also a regular contributor to debate.

Mr Mbadi was a member of the disbanded committee.

The second-term MP is considered the National Assembly’s in-house expert on public finance management and regularly participates in the making of laws.

Mr Mbadi is an accountant and rose to prominence on the basis of his robust debating skills in the last Parliament.

He was appointed assistant minister in the Office of the Prime Minister in September 2012 and served for a few months until the election in March 2013.

Like Mr Aden, he is also a member of the committee on budget and appropriations.

“I believe I have the support of the majority. I am bringing experience since I served in the Public Investments Committee in the last Parliament. I have served for two years now in Public Accounts Committee and I have institutional memory and also the professional touch being a qualified accountant,” he told the Nation.

Mr Aden said: “I enjoy the backing of both sides.”

He said the fact that the chairman of the Public Investments Committee, Adan Keynan, is also from northeastern Kenya should not be a factor in the race. Their CVs aside, though, the winner of the contest will have to get the support of MPs from Jubilee, who make up the majority in all committees.

Some Cord members were also uncomfortable with the suggestion to further elevate Mr Mbadi, the ODM chairman, by giving him the powerful position.

Before the new Public Accounts Committee was approved by acclamation, Majority Leader Aden Duale said it should avoid wrangling. “We didn’t want to disrupt a committee that has been doing a good job,” said Minority Leader Francis Nyenze, explaining the decision to retain most members of the old committee.

He asked the committee to work like the previous one had by scrutinising the government’s audited accounts, but to avoid the sort of shenanigans that resulted in the disbandment of the PAC led by Budalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba.

The former PAC members barred from the new ones were moved to other committees.

Ms Mbarire and Edick Anyanga (Nyatike, ODM) will join the Committee on Energy, Communication and Information.

Mr Namwamba will join the Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee.

James Bett (Kesses, URP) will be the newest addition to Justice and Legal Affairs Committee.