Senate to Hold Sessions in Counties From August 2018

Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka on Tuesday announced that the Senate will begin holding its sittings away from Nairobi beginning in August.

Speaker Lusaka outlined that the Senate would move its sessions into the counties in a bid to play its oversight role.

He explained that the senators would be assessing the use of funds allocated to the counties and provide an opportunity to interact with voters.

"In August we shall hold our first sitting outside Nairobi in Uasin Gishu County," Lusaka revealed.

[caption caption="Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka in his office at Parliament Buildings"][/caption]

The former Bungoma governor stressed that the Senate was keen to improve the relationship between the House and governors that has in the past been marred by power struggles and jurisdiction wrangles.

"The first term of five years in office under devolution was a learning process and senators ended up colliding with governors because they had not understood their roles," he explained.

The speaker revealed the details to journalists in Kakamega during the 2018 Devolution Conference that was officially opened by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Host governor Wycliffe Oparanya reiterated that the first five years of devolution had brought out the issues between the various units of the county and national government.

"Counties were getting delayed funds from the national government because senators didn’t play their roles right.

"The oversight role means overseeing the actual transfer of funds from the national government," he stated.

[caption caption="Speaker Lusaka shaking hands with Senate Majority Whip Kithuke Kindure"][/caption]