Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya has urged Senators to be on the forefront in protecting devolution in the Country.
He cited the increasing number of impeachment motions by Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) against the governors as a threat to gains made by the devolved system.
Oparanya spoke during a meeting with members of the Senate’s County Public Accounts and Investment Committee (CPAIC) led by Migori Senator Ochillo Ayacko when they paid him a courtesy call in his office on Thursday.
He observed that the Senate will be setting a bad precedent if it sanctioned impeachment reports presented before them.
The county head criticized the Senate for remaining mum while counties faced serious financial constraints occasioned by delay in release of funds by the National Treasury.
He noted that since January, counties have not received their allocation from the exchequer saying this should be a concern to the Senate whose mandate is to safeguard the interests of the counties.
Ayacko took issue with the county assemblies for failing in their oversight roles adding that the assemblies should have handled the cases the committee was handling at that time.
He however pledged that the Senate will help in capacity building of the assemblies to ensure they have vibrant and competent committees to oversight the executive.
By Sammy Mwibanda
