Members of the National Assembly have intensified their calls to have National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) and National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) entrenched in the Constitution.

Led by  Hon. Mugambi Rindikiri (Buuri) the lawmakers said the two funds have elevated children from disadvantaged backgrounds to get education.

“Through the NG-CDF, we have created doctors, engineers, pilots, administrators, and good citizens. If the NG-CDF was not there, we would not have created these people in our midst,” said Hon. Rindikiri.

The National Assembly Budget & Appropriations Committee (BAC) Chaired by Hon. Ndindi Nyoro has urged the Departmental Committee chairpersons tabling their reports to ensure that Departments within their Committees' purview invest in production rather than consumption as a long-term measure of reviving the country’s economy.

 Members of BAC said priority will be given to overlapping agenda for instance resettlement of the landless & processing of title deeds, and employment of Junior Secondary School (JSS)   teachers amongst others.

The Council of Governors (COG) wants the Government and Parliament to allocate Kshs 20billion to support urbanization and urban development from the exchequer.

The COG noted that there was huge financing gap for urban infrastructure and service provision adding that there was need for County Governments and the National Government to explore the other financing options envisaged in the PFM Act.

The Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning has challenged the stakeholders appearing before the Committee to make submissions during the week-long public hearings on the Finance Bill, to provide alternative solutions even as they lament over the provisions that do not sit well with them.

The National Assembly Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs(JLAC)  met with the Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Dr. Alfred Mutua to discuss the guidelines on the agreement on Double Taxation.
The CS, having been invited on short notice, requested the Vice-Chairperson Hon. Mwengi Mutuse (Kibwezi West) who was chairing the session to give him time to consult with the Attorney General and the CS for National Treasury and Economic Planning in order to develop an in-depth report on the issue. 

The National Assembly Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chaired by Hon. John Mbadi has heard how the State Department for Petroleum lost over Kshs.125 million through payment for defective gas cylinders.

A report by the Audit General tabled before the Committee indicated that the Department lost the money through making dubious payments to three firms for the supply of gas cylinders.

The National Assembly's Budget and Appropriations Committee chaired by Hon. Ndindi Nyoro (Kiharu)  entered day three of meetings with the Departmental Committee Chairpersons on the 2023/24 Budget Estimates. 

On the third day of the Committee's engagement, a number of Departmental Committee Chairpersons presented and argued for their Committee Reports on Budget Estimates for 2023/2024.

The Public Accounts Committee Chaired by Hon. John Mbadi (Nominated) has raised concern over the decision by Ministries to divert money for research to other use such as payment of allowances.

The Committee noted that according to the Auditor General's Report, State Departments have the habit of diverting research money to other functions, a move which the Auditor termed as illegal.

Sen. Esther Okenyuri seeks a statement from the Senate Standing Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations concerning the County boundary dispute between Kisii County and Nyamira County.

The Senator wants the Committee to:

1. Provide the cadastral maps and the exact boundary points between Kisii County an Nyamira County.

2. State reasons for the ongoing boundary dispute between the two counties and the resulting chaos in Keroka Town, addressing claims of double taxation of traders in the town.

Sen. Beatrice Akinyi Ogola has sought a statement from the Standing Committee on Land, Environment and Natural Resources regarding compensation of persons whose land was acquired by the Government for the proposed expansion of Kabunde Airstrip in Homa Bay.

The Senator wants the Committee to:

Provide a list of all residents whose land was acquired by the Kenya Airport Authority (KAA) to pave way for the expansion of the Kabunde Airtrip, including the respective Land Registration Numbers and the approved amounts to be paid for land and properties.

Lamu County Senator Joseph Kamau, is seeking a Statement from the Standing Committee on Land , Environment and Natural Resources regarding the compulsory acquisition of land by the Government in Lamu.

Kiambu County Senator Karugu Thang’wa, is seeking a Statement from Standing Committee on National Cohesion , Equal Opportunity and Regional Integration, regarding ethnic composition of the public sector workforce at different levels of government.

The Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Hon. Davis Chirchir, has today informed the Senate that Kenya owes the International Oil Exploration Companies (IOC) USD 23.7 million for the early oil project scheme in South Lokichar, Turkana County. 

The National Assembly Committee on Regional Integration wants the ongoing security concerns between Kenya and Uganda on Migingo Island addressed. 

In a consultative meeting between the Committee and the Ministry of East Africa Community (EAC), the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) and Regional Development, the session chair Hon. Farah Salah (Fafi), asked the Ministry to explain the measures they have taken to guarantee the safety of local fishermen undertaking commercial fishing in Lake Victoria and specifically those on Migingo Island.

The Senate Committee on Public Investment and Special Funds, headed by Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, convened a meeting today, querying Turkana County Governor, Jeremiah Ekamais Lomorukai, regarding the Auditor General's report on the Lodwar Water and Sanitation Company Limited's (LOWASCO) financial statements for the 2018-21 fiscal years.

Kenyans among them P1 teachers have petitioned the Senate concerning salary arrears for P1 teachers with `A` level academic qualification from 1996 to 2010.

Ms. Ruth Kabui and other P1 teachers are praying that the Senate intervenes in the matter with a view to recommending to the National Treasury and Economic Planning to factor in the budget to enable payment of salary arrears to the teachers.