By County Assembly Communications Team
The Speaker of the County Assembly of Bungoma, Hon. Emmanuel Situma, has called upon County Assemblies to shift from punitive legislation and focus on the quality of service delivery for the people.
Speaking at the 6th Legislative Summit in Mombasa, Hon. Situma emphasized that oversight should assess the value of services received, not merely whether services were rendered.
From Punitive to Productive Oversight
“Oversight must be proactive and result in better healthcare, education, roads, and the addressing of people’s needs. This is more effective than focusing solely on punitive oversight,” said Hon. Situma.
He stressed that the goal of legislative oversight should be tangible improvements in the lives of citizens, rather than simply catching the executive in compliance failures.
Key Recommendations for Strengthening County Assemblies
The Speaker outlined several critical interventions needed to enhance the effectiveness of County Assemblies:
1. Improved Remuneration for MCAs
Hon. Situma called for the improvement of salaries for Members of County Assembly to enable them to effectively execute oversight on governors and county executives.
2. Financial Autonomy
He noted that the implementation of County Assembly autonomy will help address previous challenges where assemblies had to seek approval from County Executive Committee Members (CECMs) for payments—a situation that compromised their independence.
3. Funding for Field Visits
The Speaker emphasized the need for dedicated funding for field and fact-finding visits to enable MCAs to monitor and oversee projects in their wards. Currently, many oversight activities are hampered by lack of resources.
4. Enhanced Sitting Allowances
He highlighted the challenge of raising quorum to transact House business in County Assemblies, attributing this partly to inadequate sitting allowances for Hon. Members. Enhanced allowances, he argued, would improve attendance and the effectiveness of legislative sessions.
5. Continuous Training and Capacity Building
Hon. Situma called for MCAs to receive continuous training and capacity building similar to what is accorded to Members of Parliament. He urged Speakers to ensure that their members are regularly equipped with the skills needed to perform their legislative, oversight, and representation roles effectively.
6. Prioritizing Public Participation
The Speaker stressed that public participation forums should be given priority to ensure citizens have meaningful opportunities to give their views on legislation and county development matters.
Addressing Pending Bills and Revenue Challenges
On the issue of pending bills affecting many counties, Hon. Situma noted that this problem is largely brought about by the failure to meet county own-source revenue targets. He pointed out that cleaning up the payroll at county government executives is key to properly accounting for wage bills and freeing up resources for development.
CAF Subscriptions and Surcharges
The Speaker called on the Senate and the Controller of Budget to review specific recommendations on surcharges imposed on County Assemblies for subscriptions to the County Assemblies Forum (CAF). He argued that these surcharges undermine the financial sustainability of assemblies and should be addressed through the legal anchoring of CAF.
