The Senate Committee on Roads, Transportation and Housing, chaired by Senator Eddy Okech (Migori), held a comprehensive consultative meeting with the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing & Urban Development to deliberate on the status of key housing programmes, policy direction, challenges, legislative gaps, and opportunities for collaboration in the sector.

The Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare has challenged the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection over critical shortcomings in the protection of the country’s most vulnerable populations, including persons with disabilities, elderly citizens in care homes and children at risk of exploitation.

A Senate Health Committee oversight mission has laid bare a litany of failures in Mandera, Wajir and Marsabit counties, exposing deep-rooted cracks in Kenya’s healthcare system that disproportionately affect marginalised regions. The inquiry, led by Sen Jackson Mandago (Uasin Gishu), revealed a crisis spanning drug shortages, outdated equipment, understaffing, neglected infrastructure and questionable financial accountability.

𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒂: 𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔, 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒇𝒇 𝒈𝒂𝒑𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒓𝒖𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒇𝒕

In December 2024, optimism filled the air at Kabete National Polytechnic and KICC, where hundreds of jobseekers gathered, hoping to secure life-changing jobs abroad. They had responded to calls for recruitment under the Diaspora Jobs Programme, a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection and the National Employment Authority (NEA).

In a spirited closing to the Senate Liaison Committee Retreat in Mombasa, Deputy Speaker and Liaison Committee Chair, Sen. Kathuri Murungi (Meru) reaffirmed the Senate’s constitutional duty to safeguard devolution while calling for enhanced committee efficiency, improved fiscal resourcing and greater accountability in implementing House resolutions.

Senators have issued a sharp warning to the National Treasury over chronic delays in disbursing funds to counties, pledging to summon the Cabinet Secretary at the start of every quarter, in a bid to safeguard service delivery and protect counties from financial paralysis.

Speaking during a press briefing at the Senate Liaison Committee retreat, Deputy Speaker and Committee Chair Sen. Kathuri Murungi (Meru) said the Treasury’s failure to release funds on time had left counties unable to pay salaries or deliver basic services.