The new political structure renders Senate superfluous

NAIROBI: While still serving as the Member of Parliament for Ndaragwa, Jeremiah Kioni sought to have the Senate removed from the country’s political structure. At the time, the MP argued that at least, Sh960 million would be used on new constitutional offices. The concern was vindicated by the manner in which senators chose to conduct themselves and the absurd demands they made last year to have their salaries increased to unprecedented levels.

Increasingly over the past few months, some senators have engaged in acts that outline their disdain for the rule of law. A demonstration led by Narok County Senator Stephen Ole Ntutu led to the death of a demonstrator. In Makueni, competition between Governor Kivutha Kibwana and the Senator, Mutula Kilonzo junior culminated in a gun fight. In Bomet, Kakamega and Bungoma counties, relations between senators and governors are not rosy. On Wednesday, Uasin Gishu Senator Isaac Melly led a mob on a campaign to eject non-Kalenjins from Eldoret University, only days after Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko incited the public against Nairobi Governor, Evans Kidero.

Hemmed in by governors, MPs and MCAs, all locked in the struggle to control county funds; senators are the poor relatives whom nobody wants. Besides the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) totaling Sh33 billion, MPs control the Uwezo Fund (Sh6 billion) and Fuel Levy Fund.

Not content with what they so far control, MPs are now focused on having control of the Equalisation Fund. Senators attempted to control County Development Boards, a move that governors vehemently objected to. So, where does that leave the Senate? Does it have relevance?

The political structure outlined in the new Constitution actually renders the Senate superfluous. It simply duplicates work and burdens the taxpayer unnecessarily. With a national government to oversee things, county governments to harness and manage local resources and a representative Parliament in place to pass legislation, why do we need an appendage that is the Senate?

If the Senate’s work is to represent the divergent interests of individual counties and more often than not, fight governors over management of county funds, then surely it’s a weight we can safely put down and breathe a sigh of relief. Having the National Assembly and Senate is simply splitting hairs and as things stand now, MPs don’t have enough work to do. Isn’t it possible to set up two Houses within Parliament without resorting to elected Senators? Depending on experience and seniority we can still have an upper and lower House. We can borrow a leaf from the Judiciary where some judges exercise superior authority over others as in the High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

From their own pronouncements and deportment, senators are on ego trips. At some point they were on an overdrive summoning governors to appear before Senate committees to answer to claims of misuse of funds. They have personalised pertinent issues as to rob them of substance and what they are propagating is war for relevance and supremacy.

It irked senators to hear governors called ‘Excellency’, fly national flags on their cars, and have motorcades and control county finances as they, (Senators), moved around incognito. Their machinations bore fruit on Wednesday when the National Assembly passed a Bill stopping governors from being referred to as ‘Excellency’. MCAs cannot be referred to as ‘Honourable’ and indeed they haven’t been, but in this, they are not alone.

The deportment of MPs has been despicable and it pains to hear them refer to themselves as ‘mheshimiwa’. With the tyranny of numbers pushing Kenya to the precipice, the rocks might start falling all over us if objectivity is thrown out the window.