Senators pledge to work with governors

Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka addresses journalists during the Senate Leadership Retreat at Sarova Woodlands Hotel, Nakuru County, on April 5, 2018. He said senators and governors will cooperate with each other for the benefit of Kenyans. PHOTO | AYUB MUIYURO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The Senate will be opening a new working relationship with the National Assembly to enhance speedy legislation of progressive laws.
  • Mr Orengo said with the new collaboration, the Senate should be able to address teething problems in the country.

Senators have vowed to open a new chapter of relationship with governors in all 47 counties.

The senators promised to shift from a confrontational relationship with governors and other leaders as witnessed in the previous House to a more collaborative approach.

They also vowed to enhance a close working relationship with the Council of Governors and the National Assembly.

Led by Speaker Kenneth Lusaka, Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen and Minority Leader James Orengo, the senators said they will not compromise on their oversight roles.

They were speaking on Thursday during the Senate inaugural retreat at Sarova Woodlands Hotel in Nakuru Town.

“Moving forward, in future, summoning governors before the Senate should not be confrontational as it was in the first term, but should be seen as part of our role to oversight the management of public resources and enhance more accountability,” Mr Murkomen said.

UHURU'S LEGACY
Mr Murkomen said the acrimony that existed between senators and governors in which some were labelled as ‘corrupt’ by virtue of being summoned to appear before the Senate to explain how they had spent money from the national government will be a thing of the past.

“Senators should not be seen as fighting their governors when they are playing oversight roles,” he said.

Mr Murkomen said the Senate has now come of age and will not play to the gallery by engaging the governors in confrontational combats.

“That is now in the past. President Uhuru Kenyatta has committed himself to ensure he leaves a legacy where the Executive works closely with the Senate and that is what we want to see come to fruition.”

MPs
At the same time, Mr Murkomen revealed that the Senate will be opening a new working relationship with the National Assembly to enhance speedy legislation of progressive laws.

“We have agreed with the National Assembly that the fights that characterised the relationship between the two Houses will now be a thing of the past because we want the citizens to get value for their money,” the Elgeyo-Marakwet legislator said.

“There was a lot of childish competition between the Senate and the National Assembly over legislation matters and who should be regarded as [the upper] House but we have resolved this impasse,” he recalled.

Speaker Lusaka observed that the political turbulence experienced during the past campaigns had impacted negatively on the economy and threatened the political stability of the nation.

“There is some sigh of relief and optimism because of the historic handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Nasa leader Raila Odinga and the Senate leadership will enhance this hope,” Mr Lusaka said.

PETITIONS
He added: “Through this new working relationship between the two leaders and the parliaments, we should never allow Kenyans to wallow in the morass of despair and conflict.” 

Mr Murkomen said in the first term, they spent time defining their mandate and protecting it instead of playing their oversight role.

He observed that the Senate is now recognised as an entity that performs its responsibilities.

“The noise we used to hear from elsewhere that Senate is idle, nyumba ya wazee and doesn’t have work to do is now in the past.”

He cited the increasing number of petitions submitted by the citizens to the House as an indicator that they have faith in the leadership of the Senate.

WETANG'ULA OUSTER

Mr Orengo said with the new collaboration, the Senate should be able to address teething problems in the country.

In an apparent reference to the decision to strip Mr Moses Wetang’ula of the minority leader position, Mr Orengo said the move was in the right direction.

He said that with a good working relationship between Senate and the National Assembly, many bills that will help to protect and nurture devolution will be passed.