• Wetangula says current debate on house positions is idle talk aimed at hoodwinking the public.
• Senate has moved to Court to seek redress on constitutionality of 18 bills passed by National Assembly.
Image: MONICAH MWANGI
Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula has hit at his Senate colleagues and the Members of parliament in National Assembly for wasting time fighting over positions.
Wetangula on Thursday said it is unfortunate that instead of the two houses focusing on the legislative roles to improve the lives of people, they have rather focused on fighting over which house is superior than the other.
This Wetangula said is likely going to result to expensive litigation in court.
“The current unhelpful and idle debate about positions is just a diversionary from the real issue that affect the ordinary Kenyan. The Senate and the National Assembly are all legally constituted in the constitution,” he said.
He added, “We should focus on legislation that limits excess and careless borrowing by the government, legislation that will help president Uhuru Kenyatta achieve his big4 agenda and whose outcome does not attract litigation and contestation as whether the input of either house was sought or not”.
According to Wetangula, Article 110(3) states that speakers of the two houses should meet and reach a concurrence before any bill is introduced to either house for legislation on matters touching on counties.
“The problem we have is that all the procedures have been flouted. The bills have been passed with total disregard to the laid down rules. All the bills passed in the National Assembly for instance have not passed in the Senate,’ he said.
This Wetangula said is the very basis why senate has opted to move to court to seek redress on the constitutionality of the bills passed.
The supremacy battle between the two houses has escalated after Senators voted to overturn record 18 bills passed by their counterparts without their input.
“For instance though security and education are matters to be dealt with by the National government, the counties are where the very same policies concern the two are implemented and thus it becomes a concern of the counties and for that reason, Senate has a mandate to oversight any bills concerning the same,” Wetangula said.
He said it is disheartening that instead of the leadership of the two houses to focus on mirroring each other, they have embarked on idle talks with an aim to hoodwink the public to think their contentious issues between the two houses.
What we must realize is that this country is not a preserve of either houses, the constitution clearly outlines that every legislation must centre on the interests of all Kenyans who have the Supreme power, Wetangula said.
Last year Majority leader Aden Duale (Garissa Town) and his Senate counterpart Kipchuma Murkomen (Elgeyo Marwakwet) took the war on the roles of the two houses to social media.
“Time has come for the National Assembly to return to the Supreme Court. There is confusion in the legislative work and the line ought to be drawn so the Senate knows its work,” Duale wrote on his Twitter page.
In his response, Murkomen noted many problems bedevil this nation, so fights between the National Assembly and the Senate should not take centre stage.
"I urge my colleagues Duale and Otiende Amollo to see the bigger picture. Don’t fear us. Come, let’s work together," he said.