- The senate is holding a special sitting to approve the names for the dialogue committee.
- The committee comprises five members from both the minority and the majority sides.
Image: KEITH MUSEKE
Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot has rallied senators to unanimously support a motion for the establishment of the National Dialogue Committee(NDC).
The committee will spearhead talks between Kenya Kwanza and the Azimio One Kenya Coalition.
Speaking when he moved the motion on Tuesday morning during a special sitting of the house, Cheruiyot said senators should close the ranks to back the committee.
''I urge you the majority and minority sides, close ranks and give an opportunity to this committee that the people of Kenya consider as important at this particular moment,'' he said while moving the motion.
The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) senator said the committee is critical to looking at all the issues that both the majority and the minority have submitted for dialogue.
'' If we do not agree, we shall come back to this house, we are doing this for the best interest of the country. I want to give an assurance to our colleagues in the house that all the issues that both sides consider important shall be discussed,'' he said.
Giving a snippet on the possible issues that have been crystallised out of the broader 10 issues that were tabled by both sides, Charuiyot said they have five thematic areas.
Cheruiyot sits on the dialogue committee.
''We have framed the issues and reduced them to five thematic issues of which when we meet we shall be considering, some are policy, legislative and others constitutional in nature,'' he said.
The senator revealed that part of the issues in one agenda item includes entrenchment of various funds including the Senate Oversight Fund, the National Government Affirmative Action Fund and the Constituency Development Fund.
The NDC is led by National Assembly majority leader Kimani Ichung'wah from the Kenya Kwanza side and Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka from the Azimio side.
The NDC is expected to recommend appropriate legal and policy reforms on issues affecting Kenyans in line with the constitution and respecting functional and institutional integrity of state organs.