Now Senate sets up team to review law

The task of identifying gaps in the Constitution that create conflict between the Senate and National Assembly began yesterday, with the responsible team saying it would be all-inclusive.

Members of Senate Select Committee on Constitution Amendment chose Mr Kipchumba Murkomen (Elgeyo-Marakwet, URP) and Mr Mutula Kilonzo Jnr (Makueni, Wiper) as chairman and vice-chairman.

Mr Murkomen, who said proposals from the public would be welcome, regretted that the Constitution is being subjected to different interpretations because some leaders decided to ignore what its drafters had in mind.

Quoting former US President John Adams, he said the Constitution, just like the American one, “was made only for a moral and religious people”.

But he said in the Kenyan case “we have established that not all reasonable people are reasonable enough”.

“We better clarify certain issues in the Constitution to avoid derailing its implementation,” he said.

Other committee members are senators Billow Kerrow (Mandera, URP), Kiraitu Murungi (Meru, APK), James Orengo (Siaya, ODM), Boni Khalwale (Kakamega, UDF) Naisula Lesuuda (Nominated, TNA), Halima Abdille (Nominated, ODM) and Muriuki Karue (Nyandarua, TNA).

Mr Kilonzo Jnr said the Senate was on the right track as it wanted to ensure future differences between the two Houses no longer affected the legislators’ mandates.

“We are doing this for posterity, not self-preservation. We want to make the second and subsequent Senate better. Nobody should doubt the process we are undertaking,” he said.

Dr Khalwale said the future of lies in devolution and oversight bodies must be able to work without unnecessary interference.