RAILA ODINGA EMPHASIZES THAT OVERSIGHT OF GOVERNORS SHOULD BE THE DUTY OF MCAS NOT SENATORS OR MPS

ODM leader Raila Odinga has emphasized that the responsibility of oversight over county governors should rest solely with Members of the County Assemblies (MCAs), not Senators. Speaking during a joint parliamentary group meeting between ODM and UDA, Raila criticized Senators for summoning governors to answer questions, particularly on matters such as roads that he said often fall under the jurisdiction of the National Government.

“Oversighting governors is the work of MCAs, not the Senate. Senators are wasting governors’ time by asking them to respond to issues like road construction, which in many cases is a national function,” Raila remarked. The former Prime Minister also renewed his call for more development funds to be directed to county governments, arguing that Members of the National Assembly should focus solely on legislation and oversight, not development implementation.

He noted that many development projects MPs undertake are now county functions, making their involvement redundant. “Constituencies are not units of devolution. Devolution exists at the county level. Implementation of development projects at the constituency level should be done by the county governments, while national programmes remain the responsibility of the national government,” he said.

Raila argued that MPs engaging in development projects creates a conflict of interest since there would be no independent body to oversee their activities. “MPs should not be involved in development. Their job is to provide oversight. If they’re building schools and roads, who will hold them accountable? Development should be left to counties,” he asserted.