Senate Block Governors From Vying in Future

The Senate Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs, and Human Rights (JLAHRC) on Tuesday proposed to limit second-term governors from vying for senatorial and county assembly seats.

The Committee led by Hillary Sigei, has adopted the proposals in the 2023 Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill which wants to ban former county bosses from vying for five years after leaving office.

Initially, the proposal wanted a total ban akin to the presidential term limit, but resolved that limiting the governors from the two political offices was reasonable.

According to the committee, the two seats are crucial in auditing the financial statements of counties and would therefore be influenced should the governors hold those offices after their term in office.

“The proposed amendment, which seeks to limit former county governors from pursuing other public offices, has raised critical questions about its fairness, justification, selectivity, and its potential application to state offices, including positions in the National Assembly,” read the statement in part.

“Additionally, the proposal emphasizes the importance of requiring justifications for limiting individuals who have not been deemed unfit for office, in accordance with the presumption of innocence as enshrined in Article 50 of the Constitution.”

Following the deliberations of the Committee, the lawmakers are expected to submit a report to the Speaker on the changes before a determination is made on whether it will be tabled before the floor of the house.

The amendment bill was proposed by UDA-nominated Senator Senator Raphael Chimera who wants the county bosses to be completely banned from vying for political office.

Chimera explains that the ban will promote accountability and also ensure that there is no interference in the audit of financial use during their tenure.

The Senate has been an option for many governors who finished their terms in office. The Constitution of Kenya 2010 limits governors to a two-term similar to that of the President.

Some of the former governors who made a political comeback to the Senate include Ali Roba (Mandera) and Jackson Mandago (Uasin Gishu).

None of the governors have vied for County Assembly seats.

Should the Bill be passed in the Senate, some of the current governors in the second term will only be limited to MPs and Presidential seats. Notable governors in their second term include Anne Waiguru (Kirinyaga), Anyang Nyong’o (Kisumu), Stephen Sang (Nandi), and Ken Lusaka (Bungoma).