Senate must rise beyond symbolic role, Raila says
According to Raila, each House should focus on its role without interfering with the other.
Raila Odinga has urged that the Senate be given real powers to help it function like the U.S. Senate, saying both Houses of Parliament must share responsibilities and work as one.
He said Kenya’s constitutional structure allows both the Senate and the National Assembly to operate independently but with a shared duty to serve the people.
According to him, each House should focus on its role without interfering with the other.
"Senate needs to play its role, just as the national assembly also has restored to play. No we have got countries with a similar constitutional structure, and it worked very well," Raila said.
He said Parliament cannot function properly if one House dominates.
The former PM called for a clear separation of duties, with both Houses having the powers they need to represent, make laws and oversee the government.
"So let's see our Senate work just like the Senate of United States of America, and give it proper powers and responsibilities. Same thing," he said.
Raila explained that Parliament, made up of both the Senate and the National Assembly, must lead in passing laws and checking the government’s actions.
“So the National Assembly has also its sphere, and you say the national assembly should do its work, and together, both National Assembly and the Senate form the Parliament, and Parliament's role is to represent, to legislate and to oversight,” he said.
He added that the executive uses laws made by Parliament to run the country, and the judiciary relies on those same laws to settle disputes.
"The executive uses the laws that are passed by Parliament to govern the country, Judiciary interprets, this is how we want it to be," Raila said.
His remarks come as the Senate and National Assembly remain divided over who should vet the nominees to the electoral commission.
Senators have protested being sidelined, saying both Houses must be involved in such national processes.
Senators have demanded inclusion in vetting of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioners nominees, arguing that the responsibility is of high importance and should not be left solely for the National Assembly to handle.
Senators, in a heated House debate, argued that the reconstitution of the IEBC is a matter of national importance spanning both levels of government and must involve both Houses.
Senate Justice and Legal Affairs Committee chairperson Hillary Sigei said the process of appointing new IEBC commissioners should be conducted jointly, as has been the practice for key state appointments.
Senators have strongly objected to their exclusion from the process, citing past precedents where both Houses vetted key state officers, such as the Inspector General of Police, Central Bank Governor, and members of the Commission on Revenue Allocation, through joint committees.
