Senators have asked the government to provide more resources to the county assemblies so as to enhance the capacities of the members of County Assemblies and that of existing county assembly employees.
They noted that this would not only attract highly qualified staff, but would also be a shot in the arm to the many semi-professional staff that many county governments inherited from the now defunct local authorities.
While making his contribution to the subject on “Resourcing Counties and Devolved Functions for Optimal Service Delivery", the Senate Majority Leader Senator Kipchumba Murkomen said Members of the County Assemblies (MCAs) have failed to discharge their duties well because the assemblies they belong to are unable to attract highly qualified staff.
“Most members of county assemblies are highly educated, but the county assemblies do not have highly trained staff as compared to the National Assembly and the Senate because of lack of resources,” he said during the session at the ongoing 3rd Annual Legislative Summit, at Pride Inn Paradise, Mombasa.
The Speaker of the Senate Senator Kenneth Lusaka while making his contribution asserted that the Senate recognizes the critical role county workers play in ensuring devolution is a success, noting that they allow staff from the counties to benchmark at the Senate.
He revealed that close to 30 workers from the counties are winding up a two-week study tour of the Senate under the County Legislative Attachment Program (CLAP).
“The Senate has been working closely with county governments to develop the technical capacities of its workers. This is the fifth group to be attached to the senate under the initiative that was officially launched in September 2015. The staff are cogs that keep County Assemblies moving. The success or failure of the Assemblies largely depends on the capacity of its employees,” noted Speaker Lusaka, Wednesday.
Speaking elsewhere as a panelist in a session on “Accountability and Legislative Oversight” Homa Bay Senator, Moses Kajwang further underscored the need to enhance capacity of members and staff in County Assemblies.
He noted that both the Senate and County Assemblies should be well kitted to carry out their oversight function.
“To carry out our oversight role as mandated by the constitution, we need tools,” he explained.