Khalwale to Raila: Amend the Constitution if Senate oversight irks you
By Kenneth Mwenda, August 16, 2025Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has challenged ODM leader Raila Odinga to push for constitutional changes if he does not agree with the Senate’s role in overseeing governors.
Khalwale’s remarks came after Raila, speaking at the Devolution Conference in Homa Bay on Thursday, August 14, 2025, called on the Senate to stop summoning governors, saying the responsibility of holding them to account lies solely with county assemblies.
“County governments are supposed to be overseen by county assemblies, not the Senate. It is unnecessary for the Senate to be summoning governors to appear before senators in Nairobi,” Raila told delegates. He argued that such practices undermine devolution and upset the balance of power between the national government and the counties.
The former Prime Minister, one of the chief architects of Kenya’s 2010 Constitution, insisted that decisions affecting local matters should be made within counties, with the national government only handling issues of national scope.
He also used the conference to push for wider reforms, including devolving education to the counties, transferring road management from national agencies to county governments, and abolishing the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) and National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF).
Raila further suggested that governors who serve two terms should be entitled to pensions, similar to MPs, and called for an incentive system to reward counties excelling in poverty reduction, youth empowerment, and environmental conservation.
Senate defends its mandate
But Khalwale swiftly dismissed Raila’s concerns over Senate oversight, saying the upper House’s mandate is rooted in the Constitution.
“If Raila Odinga doesn’t like the Senate oversighting governors, he should amend the Constitution,” Khalwale wrote on X, on Saturday, August 16, 2025.
The Senate has long defended its practice of summoning governors, arguing that it is necessary to ensure accountability for billions of shillings transferred annually to counties. Senators have often accused some county assemblies of failing to effectively monitor governors, citing political interests and weak institutional capacity.
Raila, however, believes county assemblies are the rightful watchdogs and should be strengthened to perform that role without interference from Nairobi. His proposals signal a push to deepen devolution further, sparking debate on the delicate balance between national oversight and local autonomy.