Navigating the Dual Lanes of Oversight: Senate and County Assemblies in Kenya

Kenya's decentralized governance system, established by the 2010 Constitution, resulted in a unique monitoring structure through the Senate and County Assemblies. These entities serve as watchdogs for county governments, ensuring transparency, accountability, and good governance. However, there is growing concern that county officials will selectively respond to Senate summonses while ignoring those issued by their individual County Assemblies. This essay critically explores the obvious oversight functions of the Senate and County Assemblies, highlighting the importance of consistent cooperation from county executives.

The Senate, as the upper house of Parliament, is responsible for overseeing matters of national importance in the framework of devolution. Its principal duty in overseeing county governments is to approve the allocation of national revenue to the counties. This vital duty provides a fair and equitable distribution of resources, preventing inequities between counties. Furthermore, the Senate evaluates and approves county legislation affecting national interests, which adds another layer of scrutiny to county legislative processes.

At the county level, the County Assemblies serve as the engines of local supervision, evaluating the county's executive activities. This includes approving county budgets, enacting local laws, and summoning County Executive members to answer county-related questions. The County Assembly represents the people at the grassroots level, representing the concepts of representation and democratic governance.

A worrying tendency has evolved in which certain county officials selectively react to summonses, expressing enthusiasm to appear before the Senate but ignoring summonses from their respective County Assemblies. This double standard calls into doubt both the commitment to local accountability and the notion of cooperative governance.

Ignoring summons from County Assemblies undermines the local oversight systems established by the Constitution. It upsets the delicate balance between national and local governance, reducing the effectiveness of devolution. County officials must know that responsibility is a two-way street; both the Senate and County Assemblies deserve the same amount of respect and response.

For Kenya's devolved governance system to deliver on its promise of effective and responsive local administration, both the Senate and County Assemblies must work together. County executives, in particular, must respond to summonses from their County Assemblies with the same attention that they do to the Senate. This strategy not only assures a strong system of checks and balances but also supports responsibility and openness on a national and local level.

In negotiating the multiple streams of oversight, the Senate and County Assemblies have different but interwoven functions, functioning as complementing pillars of accountability. To create a truly effective devolved system, county administrators must grasp the importance of maintaining constant response to both national and local monitoring boards. Only through cooperative involvement will Kenya's devolution deliver on its promise of a transparent, accountable, and responsive governing structure. Ignoring County Assemblies' calls and rushing to the Senate should be strongly denounced to protect the ideas of devolution.