Senate resumes sittings with busy agenda

Senate during a past sitting. [File, Standard] The Senate is set to resume sittings on Tuesday after a two-week break, with several Bills and motions lined up for debate. Senators will debate the County Governments Laws (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to improve county governance through several changes, including introducing a decennial audit of county public service operations to hold governors accountable after they leave office. The Bill, sponsored by Garissa Senator Abdul Haji, seeks to amend the County Governments Act to provide clarity in the publication of legislation passed by county assemblies and to mandate governors to deliver an annual address before county assemblies. ''The Bill stipulates timelines for the nomination and appointment of county executive committee members and county chief officers, provides for the appointment of new county public service boards after a General Election, and introduces a county public service audit," said Haji. The Garissa Senator said the Bill also proposes a statutory obligation on county governors to nominate county executive members within 14 days of being sworn in, and county assemblies to approve or reject the nominations within 14 days. Currently, the County Governments Act does not provide a time frame within which county executive committee members are to be nominated, vetted and appointed, with the lack of a timeline for appointing qualified persons to these critical positions leading to inefficiency in service delivery. The Senate is also set to discuss construction practices and climate change risks under the National Construction Authority (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to amend the National Construction Authority Act to include provisions related to an environmentally sustainable industry. Migori Senator Eddy Oketch, who sponsored the Bill, said that the construction sector plays a crucial role in the development of Kenya's infrastructure and economy; however, it also significantly impacts the environment and is vulnerable to climate change risks. "There is a pressing need to integrate environmental sustainability and climate resilience into construction activities. ''The Bill proposes to empower the National Construction Authority to promote and enforce the use of environmentally sustainable construction materials, designs, standards and practices," said Oketch. The House will also debate the Agriculture Produce (Minimum Guaranteed Returns) Bill, sponsored by nominated Senator Veronica Maina, with the principal objective of the Bill being to entrench minimum guaranteed returns to farmers.Maina noted that the agriculture sector contributes more than 20 per cent of Kenya's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 60 per cent of export earnings and about 45 per cent of government revenue, while providing most of Kenya's food requirements. "The sector is estimated to have a further indirect contribution of nearly 27 per cent of GDP through linkages with manufacturing, distribution and other service-related sectors, while employing more than 40 per cent of Kenya's population and more than 70 per cent of the rural population," said Maina. She said that the sector faces many challenges that reduce its contribution to the economy and the improvement of livelihoods, with some of the challenges related to limited access to finance and market uncertainties, which affect farmers' incomes. The House will resume debate on the County Attorney (Amendment) Bill, whose principal objective is to amend the Office of the County Attorney Act to enhance the qualifications for appointment of County Attorney and County Solicitor. "This Bill seeks to provide for the tenure of the Office of County Attorney, whose role is to advise the county government, since it is imperative for the holder to have vast experience related to the responsibilities bestowed on that office," said the sponsor of the Bill, Bungoma Senator Wafula Wakoli. The Senate will also resume debate on the Seeds and Plant Varieties (Amendment) Bill, that will introduce a standards-based seed registration system to facilitate the timely approval of seed varieties. The Bill, sponsored by Narok Senator Ledama ole Kina, will establish seed varieties eligible for registration by the Kenya Bureau of Standards . Ledama said the principal objective of the Bill is to amend the Seeds and Plant Varieties Act (Cap. 326) to introduce a standards-based seed registration system administered by the Kenya Bureau of Standards as an alternative to the existing certification process overseen by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service. "In this Bill, I will be adding a new provision, which will be Section 3A. It will state that the Kenya Bureau of Standards shall be the national designated authority for the administration and exclusive control of the standards-based seed system," he said.

Senate resumes sittings with busy agenda

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