Senators to Camp in Kilifi for Week-Long Sittings [Details]

The Senate has approved plans to hold plenary and committee sittings in Kilifi County for one week in September 2026.

The sessions are scheduled to run from September 21 to 25 and are intended to decentralize parliamentary operations by taking legislative business closer to citizens. 

The move is guided by the Constitution of Kenya, specifically Article 93, which establishes the Senate, and Article 96, which outlines its role in representing and safeguarding the interests of counties and their governments.

By shifting sittings away from the Parliament Buildings, lawmakers aim to boost public understanding of the Senate’s mandate while enhancing citizen participation in legislative affairs. 

The outreach is also expected to strengthen collaboration between the Senate and county governments, while offering county assembly staff an opportunity to interact and share expertise with parliamentary officials.

The decision follows a recommendation by the Senate Business Committee, which the House adopted on March 8, 2023. 

Under this resolution, the Senate is required to conduct at least one week of sittings in a county every September during the term of the Fourth Senate, except in election years.

The upcoming Kilifi sessions will add to previous sittings held outside Nairobi in Uasin Gishu County (2018), Kitui County (2019), Turkana County (2023), and Busia County (2025), which were seen as successful in promoting public engagement and advancing devolution.

Elsewhere, the Senate penalized Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui with a Ksh500,000 fine after he failed to appear before a parliamentary committee as required.

The decision was made by the Senate Standing Committee on Trade, Industrialization and Tourism, which had summoned the CS to present a detailed progress report on the rollout of County Aggregated Industrial Parks (CAIPs) nationwide.

Committee members, led by Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana, stressed the importance of accountability, arguing that officials in the Executive must treat parliamentary summons with seriousness.

Lawmakers also raised concerns about the implementation of the industrial parks, pointing to discrepancies between funds released and actual work completed on the ground. 

Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago noted that oversight visits revealed troubling trends, where counties that had received up to 80 percent of allocated funds had only completed between 10 and 20 percent of the projects.

Further concerns were raised over some county governments allegedly spending national government allocations without contributing their agreed share of funding, contrary to established guidelines.

Senators emphasized that strict adherence to standards is essential in the establishment and operation of the industrial parks, noting that this would ensure quality production, eliminate inefficiencies, and protect public interests.

Following his absence, Kinyanjui has now been directed to appear before the committee on May 14.