ODM leader Raila Odinga has called on Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) to take full control of oversight over governors, arguing that the mandate does not rest with the Senate.

Speaking during a joint parliamentary group meeting of ODM and UDA legislators in Karen, Nairobi, on Monday, August 18, Raila criticized Senators for what he termed as misdirected oversight.

He said summoning governors to answer questions about issues like road construction was not only unnecessary but also outside the Senate’s constitutional role.

“Senators are wasting governors’ time, asking them to answer questions about roads. Oversighting governors is the responsibility of MCAs, not the Senate,” Raila said.

The ODM leader urged lawmakers to respect the boundaries of devolution, saying county assemblies were specifically designed to hold governors and county executives accountable. He argued that by stepping into this role, the Senate was undermining both counties and devolution.

Raila also pressed for increased financial support to devolved units, saying counties remain at the heart of service delivery. According to him, MPs should stick to legislation and national-level oversight instead of running constituency development projects.

“Constituency is not an element of devolution. Implementation of projects at the constituency level is the work of county governments. MPs should not be involved in development because then there is no one to oversee them,” he observed.

The former Prime Minister noted that most projects initiated by Members of Parliament had, in practice, been absorbed by county governments, making the role of MPs in development redundant.

He insisted that the National Government should focus on national programmes like defence, foreign affairs, and major infrastructure, while counties handle community-level projects.

“MPs may not agree with me, but that is the truth. Development should be left to counties,” Raila remarked.

This is not the first time Raila has clashed with the Senate on oversight. Just last week, during the Devolution Conference, he challenged the Upper House to stop summoning governors, saying only county assemblies have the legal authority to hold them to account.

His remarks are likely to reignite debate on the proper roles of Parliament, Senate, and county assemblies in the devolution framework, an issue that has been contentious since 2013.