The 4th Senate ‘mashinani’ kicked off in Busia County with a soccer match between the Busia County assembly team and the Senate.
The match which was played at Mundika Primary School grounds in Busia Sub County on Sunday saw the Busia County Assembly team winning by 4-3 goals through post-match penalties after a barren draw in the 90 minutes.
The clerk of the senate Jeremiah Nyegenye, speaking after the match said that it was the opportunity for the two entities to bond and interacts ahead of the senate ‘Mashinani’ activities.
Nyegenye stated that Senate ‘Mashinani’ provides an opportunity for the citizens to properly understand the work of the senate.
“We are bringing the Senate to the public who are the owners. In our constitution, all powers belong to the people. We want to bring the legislature to the people. This is one way of giving life to the provision of article six requiring all state organs to bring their services close to the people,” he said.
He added that holding Senate ‘Mashinani’ in Busia County presents an opportunity to address the challenges experienced in the county.
“Senate coming to a particular county, the affairs and issues of that county are highlighted. For instance, in Uasin Gishu, issues of agriculture were highlighted and legislative interventions were made. The benefits of the Senate interacting with people directly on the ground is that they are able to understand and witness first-hand the challenges the people face,” he said
Busia county Senator Okiya Omtatah termed Senate ‘Mashinani’ as an opportunity for the residents of Busia to understand the work of the senate.
Omtatah urged the residents to engage with the Senate through different forums to submit their issues.
“This is a constitutional requirement and is an opportunity for the residents of Busia to interact with the senate. This will be an opportunity for the people to understand the work of the senate. The senate will also have a distinct understanding of the challenges facing Busia beyond interacting with it through statements, audit reports and petitions,” he said.
He further said all sub-counties will have an opportunity to receive a committee of Senate and interact with members.
“Committees will be sitting and moving around and we have ensured that every sub county has a committee visiting it thus a boost to the economy here,” expressed Omtatah.
Busia County Speaker Fredrick Odilo said the Senate ‘Mashinani” in Busia County will address matters that are beyond the county assembly and affect the people of Busia.
“Senate is here to strengthen the relationship between the assembly and the Senate. It is the base of the county government and we know they are here to assess the steps Busia County has made since 2013 and how the money has been spent. They will also visit most of the projects and make an informed decision on what has happened,” he said
Odilo expressed his optimism that the senators will be able to experience the challenges experienced by the county and help in finding the solutions.
“We want senators to walk around and understand the kind of problems we have between the Kenya and Uganda border. They will also understand the jam we have on our road and this will maybe enable them to allocate more money to Busia during appropriation to solve the existing challenges.”
The Senate sittings commenced yesterday and will run until Friday.
