Senators meet in Eldoret for first-ever sitting outside Nairobi

The Senate will on Monday hold its first-ever sitting outside Nairobi in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County.

According to Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka, the decision to have Senators sit outside Nairobi was made in line with Article 126 (1) of the Constitution which allows the Senate or National Assembly to convene outside Nairobi.

“A sitting of either House may be held at any place within Kenya and commence at any time that the House appoints,” reads Article 126 (1) of the Constitution.

“We are bringing the senate to the people so that people can feel the senate and what we do, ” said Speaker Lusaka.

The Senators kicked off the day by holding a meeting of the House Business Committee to set the agenda for the sittings that are set to follow. Normal sittings are expected to begin on Tuesday, with the House committees set to actively transact House business during the entire stay in Uasin Gishu County.

Lusaka said the Senate committee on Agriculture, which has been going round in Bungoma, Trans Nzoia and Uasin Gishu will address the contentious issues that have rocked the maize sector in the recent past.

The Health committee is scheduled to visit the Moi Teaching and Referral hospital to assess the health situation in the county.

While in Uasin Gishu, the Public Accounts Committee will interrogate the audited accounts of Baringo, Uasin-Gishu and West Pokot counties.

During the county tour, the senate speaker says they will be encouraging counties to look for alternative means of raising revenue to supplement their budget instead of relying for funds from the national government.

He further added the senate is looking forward to interact with the locals in the county to get their views on governance of their county and what the senate can do to improve the status quo.

The sittings will commence on Monday, September 24 and are set to continue for 5 working days until Friday September 28, 2018.