Ruto's Kenya Kwanza sweeps Senate committee leadership posts – The Star Kenya
President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza Alliance on Tuesday continued its clean sweep of Senate committee leadership positions in the second day of the elections.
The coalition scooped all the chairperson and vice chairperson of all the five committees that conducted their polls Tuesday.
They were Health, Finance and Budget, ICT, Labour and Social Welfare and Justice and Legal Affairs committees.
This came a day after the alliance won all the leadership positions for the four committees that picked their leaders on Monday.
The election came barely three days after the President chaired the Kenya Kwanza Senate Parliamentary Group meeting and struck out a deal on the leadership of the panels.
All the chairpersons, apart from that of Labour and Social welfare committee, were elected unopposed as Raila Odinga’s Azimio failed to field candidates for the positions.
Kenya Kwanza, which is the majority coalition in the House, has the majority of the members in all the panels.
This gave them the numerical strength to elect the leadership.
In the election conducted on Tuesday, former Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago was elected the chairperson of the Standing Committee on Health.
Mandago, who is the Uasin Gishu senator, will be assisted by nominated Senator Mariam Omar Sheikh.
Soon after his election, Mandago thanked the lawmakers for voting for him and reminded them that all the 47 counties are facing enormous challenges related to provision of quality healthcare.
“As a committee, we must take our mandate seriously so that the role of counties in provision of quality healthcare is well articulated,” he said.
Among the areas he promised to consider are the challenges facing healthcare workers, the shortage of personnel, training of health workers, reforms in the National Insurance Health Fund and the anticipated roll out of the Universal Health Care.
“The committee must take a lead role in the restructuring of the NHIF. The fund must be responsive to the needs of the counties,” he said, borrowing from his experience during his 10-year stint as a governor.
He noted that while the fund has taken ages to reimburse money to counties, the same has not been the case for private healthcare providers, who quickly get their refunds on time.
“This committee must be part and parcel of the UHC rollout and influence how NHIF will operate,” added the senator
Mandera Senator Ali Roba, who also served as governor between 2013 and 2022, was elected chairman of Finance and Budget Committee. He will be assisted Tabitha Mutinda (nominated).
Roba promised to lobby for more funds to be allocated to counties and ensure a revenue sharing formula that is adopted in future will carry the interest and diversity of all the 47 counties and its dynamics.
Senator Allan Chesang (Trans Nzoia) is the chairman of Information, Communication and Technology and will be assisted by Gloria Orwoba (nominated).
Bomet Senator Hillary Sigei and nominated counterpart Raphael Chimera were unanimously elected as chairperson and vice chairperson of Justice Legal And Human Rights Committee.
All the chairpersons were elected unopposed.
However, West Pokot Senator Julius Murgor faced nominated Senator Crystal Asige in the battle for Labour and Social Welfare Committee chairperson post.
Murgor secured five votes against Asige’s three to round up a clean sweep for Kenya Kwanza.
Nominated Senator John Mbugua was elected vice chairperson. He was elected unopposed.
On Monday, Kirinyaga Senator James Murango was elected chairperson of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, with Senator Alexander Mundigi Munyi (Embu) as his deputy.
Senator Sheikh Mohamed Abass (Wajir) was elected to chair Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations committee, while nominated Senator Rosalinda Tuya was picked as the vice chairperson.
Murang’a Senator Joseph Nyutu was elected to chair the Education committee and will be assisted by nominated Senator Peris Tobiko as the vice chairperson.
Senator Wahome Wamatinga (Nyeri) will chair the Energy Committee and will be assisted by Veronicah Nduati (nominated).
On Wednesday, five committees are scheduled to pick their leadership.
They are Lands, Environment, and Natural Resources; National Cohesion, Equal Opportunity, and Regional Integration; and National Security, Defense, and Foreign Relations.
Others are Roads, Transportation and Housing; and Trade, Industrialisation and Tourism committee.
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