Communicating to journalists during a press briefing today, Speaker Justin Muturi has asked the Public Investments Committee to only handle audit queries that may arise from the plan by Kenya Airways to take over the management of JKIA.
This was in response to a protest by the Transport Committee which had accused their counterparts in PIC of overstepping their mandate.
PIC had begun investigations into the concession agreement that would see KQ run JKIA for 30 years, citing grounds Kenyans would lose money in the plan.
Muturi, in a letter to Transport Committee chairman David Pkosing (Pokot South MP), said the issue of the takeover is a matter of government policy, hence, is within the mandate of the Transport Committee.
“However, it would be important to note that the Public Investments Committee may deal with the matter if this was a query arising from the examination of audited reports and accounts of Kenya Airports Authority or a special audit,” he said in the February 21 letter copied to PIC chairman Abdulswamad Nassir.
The directive comes at a time PIC has tabled its preliminary findings into the deal, saying the transaction should stop until the fears of revenue losses are addressed.
The legislators cited that the country would lose big should it cede its largest airport to a loss-making entity.
Nassir said he will raise the matter on the floor of the House from which the committee will give its way forward on the same.
“The letter has not said that we stop looking into this matter. We will seek the opinion of the whole House this afternoon.”