Avert clash over MCA’s role

It is hardly surprising that senators are seeking to trim oversight powers by Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) over funds spent by the counties.

As the senators point out, it amounts to a conflict of interest as the MCAs determine how the funds are used. Having them exercise oversight over the funds is thus akin to giving them control over themselves.

Counties have gained notoriety for wastefulness, mismanagement and blatant theft of funds. One area that continues to feature prominently is local and international travel, where a lot of money has been squandered.

The main beneficiaries have been the MCAs, going on the so-called benchmarking trips overseas. There is no evidence that these trips have yielded any tangible benefits for any of the 47 devolved units.

The Senate’s major constitutional role and responsibility is oversight over the counties to ensure they are efficiently and prudently managed. A clash looms as senators plan to clip MCAs’ powers.

They want them denied absolute oversight over expenditure by the county assemblies and other funds under the executive. There have been reports of MCAs extorting funds from governors by threatening to impeach them.

In the pipeline is a push for the necessary change of the law by the Senate Public Accounts Committee.

The committee argues that checking expenditure in the counties is an exclusive mandate of the Senate. MCAs, for instance, examine financial books of accounts of the county assembly and executive.

Instead of turning this debate into a supremacy battle, it would be better to approach it as a bid to streamline operations and enhance efficiency.

Senators and MCAs need not engage in a fight but oversight over counties’ expenditure must be tightened to ensure that it is frugal and transparent.