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Hasten law on deputy posts, urge governors
Mr Polycarp Igathe speaks during a media briefing at Jubilee Party headquarters in Nairobi on May 17, 2017. He resigned as Nairobi deputy governor. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka said the current budget allocated to the Senate is not adequate.
- Mr Lusaka urged chairpersons of the various house committees to work in unison and refrain from being partisan.
Governors want the Senate to hasten the passage of a law that will help seal vacant deputy governor seats.
Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya said: “We are working closely with the Senate to ensure this law is passed quickly so that we can have deputy governors in Nyeri and Nairobi counties.”
The Nyeri deputy governor seat fell vacant after the holder, Mr Mutahi Kahiga, ascended to the top seat following the death of county boss Wahome Gakuru.
In Nairobi, deputy governor Polycarp Igathe resigned.
Mr Mvurya said the Council of Governors would work closely with both the national government and the Senate to promote devolution.
“This is the second term of implementing devolution. Kenyans have much more experience now; we don’t expect to encounter the problems we did in the first term,” he said.
BUDGET
He was addressing journalists at Serena Hotel, Mombasa, during a three-day induction workshop for the Senate liaison committee on Saturday.
Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa said:
“As the protector of counties and devolution, the Executive and my ministry will work closely with the Senate and county governments to strengthen linkages between all of us”.
Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka said the current budget allocated to the Senate is not adequate to have all the house teams work comprehensively.
“It cannot meet all our calendar events this year; we are requesting for more funds,” he said.
WORK RELATIONS
However, he did not disclose the amount required, saying the exact figure would be known when all the committees present their budgetary requirements.
The Speaker urged chairpersons of the various house committees to work in unison and refrain from being partisan.
He called for warmer ties between the national government and the Senate, noting:
“If a cabinet secretary is invited to the Senate to clarify an issue, it should not be taken as a summon, nor seen in bad light. The same goes for governors.”
Liaison committee chairman Yusuf Haji said house teams should avoid distractions that could derail the Senate’s agenda.
