- "I wish to urge the sponsors of the Bill to reflect deeply on this matter and drop it"
- He said leadership in the county should instead join hands in finding solutions to unemployment and other difficulties facing the people.
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Senator Boni Khalwale has opposed a move by the County Government of Kakamega to anchor in law the Office of the Governor's Spouse.
Khalwale told the County Assembly of Kakamega to be sensitive to the priorities of locals, whom he said were "poor and in poor financial position."
"I wish to urge the sponsors of the Bill to reflect deeply on this matter and drop it," he stated.
In a statement, the Kakamega senator said leadership in the county should instead join hands in finding solutions to unemployment and other difficulties facing the people.
There is an attempt by the Kakamega County Government to anchor in law the office of the Governor’s spouse through the Kakamega County Office of the Governor's Spouse Bill, 2023.
The Bill has been sponsored by Marama South Ward MCA Willis Opuka, who is the chair of the Public Service and Administration Committee at the County Assembly of Kakamega.
The proposed law states that the said office shall consist of the spouses of the Governor and Deputy Governors as well as staff appointed by the County Public Service Board.
It further seeks to allocate a budget to the office of the Governor’s spouse and allowances for members of committees formed under the said office.
In his statement, Khalwale condemned the attempts to come up with this law and referred the county to the Advisory by the then Attorney General Githu Muigai in 2015, who advised that Governors’ spouses should neither be allocated county offices nor be entitled to a budgetary provision for their outreach activities.
"This advisory was copied to the chairpersons of the Public Service Commission, Kenya Law Reform Commission, Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution, and the Controller of Budget eight years ago," he stated.
He explained that the functions assigned to the office of the Governors Spouse, are functions that are already assigned to existing offices in the county administrative structure.
"Noting the economic and financial position of the country at the moment, the establishment of the office of the Governor’s spouse and funding of the office from public coffers, would not be the most prudent way of utilising the scarce public resources," he stated.
He added that county assemblies are required to legislate, but in doing so, they must be sensitive to the priorities of the people.