Five National Assembly and Senate committees have summoned Transport CS James Macharia over alleged discrimination of Kenyan employees at a company building the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).
Macharia who has been invited alongside the management of Kenya Railways, is also expected to explain SGR's impact on the environment, especially in wild animal sanctuaries.
The management of China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) has been accused of mistreating Kenyan employees.
Yesterday, Macharia wondered why he has to appear before different committees of both the National Assembly and the Senate to respond to the same questions.
“This is a matter we are requesting this committee, which is our main oversight organ, to seek the advise of the Speaker on. Similar questions to the ones you have asked have also been asked by four other committees in both the National Assembly and the Senate,” said Macharia, when he appeared before National Assembly's Transport committee.
He said while they were not against appearing before any of the committees, it would be prudent if the speakers of the two Houses gave direction so the matter could be handled in a more systematic manner.
Replicate issues
“We ask that we do not replicate issues by having to appear in all these committees to respond to the same issues,” he said.
Today, Macharia and Kenya Railways Managing Director Atanas Maina are expected to appear before the National Integration and Equal Opportunities Committee, whose chairman Maina Kamanda, has argued that issues of discrimination of workers fall under their docket.
“We are the committee entrusted with the responsibility of looking into some of these issues, including racial discrimination as have been raised against the chinese company. That is the only interest we have in regard to this matter,” said Kamanda.
Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria, who is a member of the Transport Committee, said making the CS and Kenya Railways management to appear before the five committees amounts to unnecessary duplication of duty.
Similar issues
“When do we expect the CS and all these technocrats to work and deliver if all their time is spent here in Parliament responding to similar issues? We should ask all the other committees to come for the responses when the CS appears before the Transport committee so as to save the CS and his team time,” said Kuria.
He added: “Clerk should also explain how he sends letters to these bodies when he knows they are all speaking about similar matters”.
Also said to have called the teams over the similar issues are the National Assembly’s committee on Implementation and the Senate committee on Transport.
