Senate resumes to push for changes

By Moses Njagih

Nairobi, Kenya: The Senate resumes its sittings Tuesday, with a push for creation of its own welfare commission on the agenda.

The creation of the Senate Service Commission – an independent administrative body that would be autonomous from the Parliamentary Service Commission – is among the major amendments proposed by the subcommittee of the powerful Rules and Business Committee that has been reviewing the Senate’s Standing Orders.

The subcommittee, chaired by Meru Senator Kiraitu Murungi and his Siaya counterpart James Orengo, has recommended major amendments to the Standing Orders, which the House inherited from the 10th Parliament.

The subcommittee has also proposed increasing the number of Senate committees, splitting the larger ones, and importantly creating a watchdog County Public Accounts and Investment Committee.

Debate on the sub committee’s report was cut short, hardly before Kiraitu moved it for debate before the Senate went on recess, prompting the Speaker Ekwe Ethuro to direct that the same be prioritised when it convenes.

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Ethuro hailed the proposal for the creation of an independent service commission for the Senate, saying this would ensure efficiency in administration of House business.

 In other proposed amendments, unlike in the National Assembly, senators will now commence their Wednesday sittings at 10am as opposed to 9am.

They have also amended Standing Order 25, giving room to the Speaker of the Senate, after consulting the Majority and Minority Leaders, to allow a visiting Head of State or other visiting dignitary to address the Senate.

The changes also allow the Speaker, after consultation with the Speaker of the National Assembly, to arrange a joint sitting of Parliament for purposes of an address by a visiting President or a dignitary.

If passed, governors will also get a chance to address the Senate, through a message to the Speaker, on a topic of their choice.

The Senate speaker will also render advisory opinions to county assemblies, either at the request of local speakers or at the initiative of the Senate Speaker.

In the new standing orders, lady senators, just like their counterparts in the National Assembly, will be allowed to enter the chambers with their handbags, but of a “reasonable size”. The current Standing Orders do not allow this. The senators also proposed their own prayer. Currently the two houses have a joint prayer, which is recited at the start of each sitting of the House or a committee of the House.