The senate committee on labour and social welfare today held a meeting with petitioners and the director of First choice recruitment agency who had been summoned to give an update on whether they have reimbursed the more than 500 youths whose money had been allegedly obtained to facilitate them with jobs and studies placement abroad before the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The Senate has voted to approve the National Dialogue Committee.

During the Special Sitting held on Tuesday, Senators unanimously voted to approve the National Dialogue Committee consisting of 10 members to represent the Kenya Kwanza Alliance (“Kenya Kwanza”), a coalition constituting the Majority Party of the Parliament of the Republic of Kenya and Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party (“Azimio”), a coalition forming the Minority Party of the Parliament of the Republic of Kenya.

The National Assembly Public Investments Committee on Commercial Affairs and Energy chaired by Hon. David Pkosing (Pokot South) has asked the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) to make public cumulative amounts of public funds which could have been lost over irregular payment of overtime allowances at the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) in the 2019/2020 Financial year.

A shortage of technical staff is posing a challenge for the State Department for Public Works, the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Housing, Urban Planning, and Public Works chaired by Hon. Johana Ngeno (Emurua Dikirr) has been told.

The Principal Secretary, Mr. Joel Arumonyang, who appeared before the Committee to shed light on affordable housing projects in the country , told Members that the scarcity of technical personnel has created challenges in fulfilling the department's responsibilities.

The forum for the African Network of Parliamentary Budget Offices has called for strategic planning of fiscal structures as a means to restore sustainability as world economies continue to be hit by uncertainties.

 Cognizant that many countries have seen a decline in the state of public finances over the past few years as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and economic instabilities, the forum elected to focus on practical strategies for managing public debt and fiscal sustainability in times of uncertainty.

The National Assembly Departmental Committee has expressed reservations regarding a decision made by the State Department of Housing and Urban Development to adjust the construction cost of the new Githurai market in Kiambu by close to Kshs.200 million.

The Committee on Housing, Urban Planning, and Public Works, Chaired by Hon. Johana Ngeno (Emurua Dikirr), held discussions with Housing and Urban Development Principal Secretary, Mr. Charles Hinga where they sought explanation for the alteration of the project cost from the initial Sh827.170 million to Kshs1.026 billion.