The Building Bridges Initiative winds up its public participation sessions today amid more calls for increased budgetary allocations to the counties.
Women leaders under the umbrella body Embrace and the Senate yesterday proposed that the allocation should significantly be increased from 15 per cent of the national budget- as stated in the Constitution.
Senators said the allocation should be increased to 40 per cent while the women leaders proposed 45 per cent of the total budget.
Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang'ula while presenting a memorandum from the Senate said counties should get a minimum of 40 per cent, adding that the amount should not be based on audited accounts.
Homa Bay Woman Representative Gladys Wanga, speaking for Embrace, said county allocation should be increased to 45 per cent of the audited national budget.
Women leaders present at the presentation included governors Charity Ngilu (Kitui) and Anne Waiguru, Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris (Nairobi) and former Cabinet Minister Nyiva Mwendwa among others.
While announcing that the BBI public participation was coming to an end, chairperson Yusuf Haji called on those who were still willing to submit their proposals to take them to their offices at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre.
“The day will mark the end of the team's receipt of views from the public and institutional stakeholders as well as those that have been coming to us through our e-mail address,” he stated.
Isiolo Senator Fatuma Dullo said that the Senate did not take a position on whether to support the presidential or parliamentary system of government.
She said her colleagues want the Senate to be made the upper house while the National Assembly the lower house. “We have been to Australia and seen how they operate. We wish to emulate that kind of arrangement,” she added.
Declaring state of emergency should also be shared between the Senate and the National Assembly, she proposed.
Dullo further said there are conflicts on the role of the Senate and that of the National Assembly which can be eliminated if the functions can be clearly defined.
She said the national Assembly's work should be limited to constituency functions and those of the government at that level while senate should be concerned with the functions of the counties and the government at that level also.
“The roles of the two houses during appointments should also be clearly defined,” she added.
The roles of the two houses during appointments should also be clearly defined
Dullo said the National Assembly should be involved in the appointment of cabinet secretaries, principal secretaries, envoys and the attorney general while the senate should be involved in appointment of the director of public prosecutions and chairs and membership of constitutional commissions.
She said the two houses must agree on bills before they are forwarded to the president for his signature.
“The situation has been that one house would run away with a bill before an agreement is reached and then take it to the president,” she explained.
For smooth operations of the two houses, the Senate wants there to be two commissions to deal with human resource affairs of each. She suggested that the Parliamentary Service Commission should be dived into, with one handling the Senate and the other the National Assembly
“We are not asking for more commissioners but divide those who are are there into two,” she added. She explained that their matters are often shot down when presented to the Parliamentary Service Commission bearing in mind that the chair is the Speaker of the National Assembly.
Migori senator Ochillo Ayako said the independence of the county assemblies should be safeguarded. “Why should they beg for resources from an institution they are over-sighting. This calls for separation of county funds so that assemblies can take charge of their mandate without fear,” he explained.
Wanga said there is need to deliberately increase women’s involvement in leadership and governance in all the County Government structures.
“Gender rule in elective positions should be 50:50 in county executive and in decision making,” she said..
The women called for expansion of the Presidency and Executive with more seats at the top to provide for; President, Deputy President, Prime Minister and two Deputy Prime Ministers.
They said the Opposite Gender Rule should be applied in the expanded presidency
with two seats ring fenced for women;. “Similarly, the Opposite Gender Rule shall be applied in National, County governments and all executive bodies,” Wanga added.
The women, while appreciating the contribution and delivery witnessed with the current women cabinet secretaries, proposed a 50:50 Gender Rule to balance technocrats from outside Parliament and Members of Parliament as well as outside the County Assemblies and within the County Assemblies in composition of cabinet by the Presidency and the Governor, respectively.
“ The Republic of Kenya should borrow a leaf from the composition of the Ghanaian Cabinet, which is the best practice and model of executive inclusivity in Africa,” Wanga added.
