Key operations of the Senate, including committees, are stalling due to a devastating cash crunch.
The revelations emerged even as senators put Speaker Amason Kingi in a spot over a Sh450 million debt accumulated by the Senate, the bulk of it reportedly incurred by his office.
“Where did the Speaker go? What did he build or buy to warrant a pending bill of Sh450 million? These questions must be answered,” an agitated senator said.
The lawmaker questioned how the House accumulated the bills despite receiving its full allocation in the last financial year.
The Star has established that several committees have ceased operations, while the Senate Mashinani session for this year has been cancelled.
Insiders also say there have been occasional staff salary delays.
In addition, the parliamentary leadership is planning to pull out of the East Africa Inter-Parliamentary Games to be hosted in Kenya later in the year.
“We are also debating changing our hosting of the EAC parliamentary games because it is also an expense. We are now toying with the idea of pulling out so that another EAC country can host it,” Majority Whip Boni Khalwale said.
Speaker Kingi did not respond to our inquiries on the subject.
Senate Clerk and Parliamentary Service Commission CEO Jeremiah Nyegenye said the Speaker was the right person to comment on the concerns.
Inordinate delays by the National Treasury to release funds, significant budget cuts and huge pending bills eating into the available budget have triggered the crisis.
“There is a challenge. Committees are struggling. We are hoping that it will be unlocked. There is an unnecessary delay in the release of funds [by the Treasury],” Khalwale said.
Minority Leader Stewart Madzayo confirmed the struggles, stating that the committees are on their knees.
“It is affecting the smooth running of committees. The committees are deprived of money because they slashed the budget,” he said.
So dire is the situation in the committees that some members have been forced to ‘fundraise’ to carter for expenses in their county oversight tours.
Already, the Agriculture Committee chaired by Kirinyaga Senator James Murango has suspended its operations due to lack of funds.
“The committee this morning (Tuesday) resolved to suspend its business until it is properly facilitated to execute its mandate,” he said.
The panel, which handles a largely devolved function, cannot move across the country to meet farmers and conduct public participation.
“The committee believes in meeting the farmers in the counties. It had planned to conduct public participation in Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu, Bungoma, Busia, Nyeri and Kirinyaga counties,” Murango said.
“The committee commenced public participation in Kwale county. However, due to budgetary constraints, it is yet to conclude public participation in the remaining counties.”
In the revised budget following the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024 after the Gen Z mass protests, the Senate’s allocation was slashed by Sh600 million – from Sh8 billion to Sh7.4 billion.
As a result, each of the 21 committees has seen their budget for ‘domestic’ activities – including oversight tours and public participation – reduce to Sh6 million per year.
“The Senate has changed. We can no longer execute our functions in committees or even do parliamentary diplomacy, which is a critical aspect of any Parliament,” Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’ said.
Consequently, the panels are forced to limit their activities to Nairobi.
Senate County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee chairman Godfrey Osotsi revealed his panel was unable to do physical projects flagged in the Auditor General’s reports in counties.
“Budgetary constraints are affecting the smooth functioning of committees. For instance, we are not able to follow up on some audit issues that require physical inspection and verification in the counties,” he said.
The budget for the committees for foreign trips has been reduced to Sh7 million per panel for the entire year.
“How can you allocate Sh7 million to every committee? What will we do with Sh7 million? We cannot even reach Dandora stadium or Toi market for audit, let alone Kericho, Nandi or Marsabit counties,” Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei said.
The cash crisis has led to the cancellation of the Senate Mashinani – sittings outside Nairobi – that was scheduled for Busia.
Initially, the much-hyped Mashinani session was scheduled for this week – between September 23 and 27.
However, this was moved to October 28 and was to end on November 1 but was eventually cancelled.
In a motion filed before the House on Wednesday, Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot sought to defer the sitting to next year.
“Now, therefore, the Senate resolves to defer its plenary and committee sittings (Senate Mashinani) in the counties until the Fourth Session in 2025,” Cheruiyot said.
Senate Mashinani involves holding of the House plenary and committee sittings outside Parliament buildings in Nairobi.
The Star established the Senate needs about Sh200 million to hold the sittings in Busia.
“This is an affront to the institution of Parliament, more so to the Senate,” Senator Cherargei said.
Worse, the Senate reportedly accumulated Sh450 million in pending bills in the last financial year.
The Senate leadership must further cut down expenditure, including from the travel budget, to clear the bills.
Senators who spoke to the Star appeared to blame the Speaker’s office for the accumulation of the bills.
Khalwale, who sits in the Senate Business Committee, the top decision-making organ of the House, confirmed members had directed their gaze to the Speaker’s office but their inquiry proved otherwise.
“That talk was there but we sat as leadership and were to dissect what the pending bills were about, that is not the problem,” Khalwale told the Star.
Mombasa Senator Mohamed Faki admitted the House committees were struggling to even raise quorum as members avoid them due to non-payment of sitting allowances.
“Most of the committees are experiencing a lot of quorum issues. Members appear to be a bit disenchanted,” he said.