The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General, Edwin Sifuna, has accused governors of misadvising national leaders, including ODM party leader Raila Odinga.
Speaking during a press briefing alongside other members of the Senate Public Accounts committee on Tuesday, the Nairobi Senator claimed that governors had misadvised Raila on devolution, based on some of the pronouncements he made during the devolution conference.
He was responding to Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua's claims that governors had been misled to believe that they did not have to answer to the Senate.
"It is not the governors who have been misadvised. It is the governors who are misadvising our national leaders. It is the governors who have misadvised my party leader," Sifuna stated.
"When it comes to matters of devolution, it is governors who are misadvising Mzee because when we had a meeting with the party leader in the Senate, he came out of the meeting with proposals like strengthening the place of the Senate for devolution to succeed," he stated.
Hailing Odinga as the father of devolution, Sifuna claimed that some of the proposals Raila had made during the devolution conference in Homa Bay had come as a shock.
"That is the type of advice that Jakom gives. I know his position on devolution. He is the father of devolution. I was very shocked to hear some of these pronouncements because I know he has been misadvised."
While speaking during the devolution conference on August 14, Raila made a raft of proposals to strengthen Kenya's devolution after 12 years.
Among these proposals was that governors' oversight be done by the county assemblies, instead of the Senate, suggesting that county-level Public Accounts and Investments Committees question County Executive Committee members instead.
“County governments are supposed to be oversighted by county assemblies, not the Senate. It is unnecessary for the Senate to summon governors to appear in Nairobi,” he said.
In addition to this, he proposed that governors who have served their maximum two terms be entitled to pensions, just like Members of Parliament, so as to recognise their contribution and promote good governance during their tenure.
''In parliament, we did an amendment so that any MP who serves two terms is entitled to a pension. Why can’t we do the same for governors?'' Raila posed.
