NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 20 – Twenty-seven parliamentary committees will be reconstituted when the third session of the 10th Parliament officially kicks off on Tuesday.
The Leader of Government Business and Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka said on Monday that the only committee which would remain untouched in the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC).
The VP also said that topping Tuesday’s agenda would be the fast tracking of the constitutional review process.
“The very first agenda item will be the reconstituting of the various committees… We also expect that parliament will approve the new list of the Interim Independent Electoral Commission and we hope that this time we will be able to make a good job of it,” he added.
Mr Musyoka meanwhile urged Kenyans to give Members of Parliament time to carry out their duties effectively.
“This is a reform year and all of us look forward to working very closely together. However, I would like to request that we have confidence in our legislators because they are going to work very hard,” he stated.
The VP was speaking at his Jogoo House office when he received a high powered delegation from Spain led by Defence Minister Carmen Piqueras, who is attending the Land Forces Symposium that Kenya is hosting.
Ms Piqueras joins 23 international military leaders converging in Mombasa on Monday to discuss common challenges and foster security cooperation throughout the Horn of Africa and South Asia.
The Vice President took the opportunity to call for concerted action to fight piracy, a security threat that has scared potential investors away from East Africa.
He praised the role being played by the Spanish government in collaboration with the European Union (EU) in the fight against piracy in the Horn of Africa.
"The problem of piracy off the Somali Coast is proving to be a very difficult matter for us in this country and the East African region, because apart from anything else, it is making the cost of doing business very high,” he said.
Mr Musyoka however assured tourists and investors that everything was being done to restore normalcy in the areas frequently hit by piracy.
Ms Piqueras said that Spain would help Kenya defend her waters from Somali buccaneers.
“Spain is right now commanding the force of the Atlanta operation, and we wanted to tell the authorities of Kenya the job we are doing,” she said.
“We also want to thank you on the efforts your cooperation with the international communities in order to be able to give the pirates a fair trial.”
President Mwai Kibaki is in the coastal city to officially open the Symposium, a meeting that is this year co-hosted by the Kenya Army and the United States Army Central.
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