NAIROBI – Kenyan Speaker Justin Muturi has halted a parliamentary watchdog committee from investigating the proposed takeover of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) by stressed national carrier, Kenya Airways (KQ).
According to Business Daily Mr. Muturi has ruled that the departmental Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing is the right team to handle the proposed deal as opposed to the Public Investments Committee.
“It is clear that the issue of the takeover of JKIA by Kenya Airways is a matter of major government policy that falls under the mandate of the departmental Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing.”
He added: “However, it would be important to note that the PIC may deal with the matter if this was a query arising from the examination of audited reports and accounts of the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) or a special audit,” he said in response to a letter to Transport Committee chairman David Pkosing.
The daily reports that the committee had asked the Speaker to rule against the PIC investigations into the KAA-KQ deal saying the committee was overstepping its mandate.
However, there are reports that despite the Speaker’s ruling, investigations on KAA and KQ proposed deal are still going on.
A Cabinet paper prepared May 2018 warned that KQ had less than a year to survive if the deal flopped and the carrier did not get a significant capital injection.
