The latest changes in the Senate have seen Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi removed from two of the House’s most influential oversight committees.
The move, announced on July 29, comes just weeks after Sifuna was replaced as the Senate Minority Whip, adding to the growing political changes affecting the two lawmakers.
Following the reshuffle, Sifuna has been moved from the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) to the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.
He has been replaced in CPAC by Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo, while Senator Joseph Githuku has also been nominated to serve on the committee led by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’.
Osotsi has also been transferred from the County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee (CPISFC) to the Standing Committee on National Cohesion, Equal Opportunity and Regional Integration.
His place in the committee has been taken by Taita Taveta Senator Johnes Mwaruma, while nominated Senator Hezena Lemaletian has also joined the committee.
Reports indicate that the changes were pushed by Board-Based Coalition senators from the Minority side, most of whom are members of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
The reshuffle follows the active involvement of both Sifuna and Osotsi in the Linda Mwananchi movement, a group within ODM that has openly opposed the party leadership’s decision to work with the Kenya Kwanza administration.
The committees the two senators have left are among the most powerful in the Senate because they oversee how county governments spend public funds. They review reports prepared by the Office of the Auditor-General and question governors over the use of billions of shillings allocated to counties, as well as revenue collected locally.
Governors are often required to appear before these committees to explain issues such as questionable spending, pending bills, stalled development projects, and audit queries.
Where serious concerns remain unresolved, the committees can recommend investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). They may also advise the National Treasury to withhold county funds in certain situations.
The latest changes are widely seen as reducing the influence of both Sifuna and Osotsi in the Senate, as they have been moved from committees with significant oversight powers to ones that generally have a smaller role in holding county governments accountable.
For Sifuna, the development comes only days after he lost his position as Senate Minority Whip on July 16, when Migori Senator Eddy Oketch was appointed to replace him.