List of Senators in Kenya and their Counties 2024

The Kenyan Senate and the National Assembly are crucial to the country's bicameral parliament system. A common query among the public often revolves around which of the two houses holds more power. While the ConstitutionConstitution doesn't explicitly rank the two based on their respective functions, the National Assembly performs a broader range of roles compared to the Senate, thus indicating a degree of superiority.

However, it's worth noting that this doesn't downplay the Senate's critical role in governance and politics in Kenya, particularly concerning the counties and county governments.

Membership and Composition of the Kenyan Senate

The Senate's membership comprises:

• 47 elected senators, each representing a Kenyan county.
• 16 senators are occupying special seats reserved for women, nominated by political parties based on their representation in the Senate.
• Four senators occupied seats set aside for the youth and persons with disabilities.
• The Speaker, who is an ex officio member of the Senate.

Defining the Role of the Senate in Kenya

The functions of the Senate in Kenya revolve primarily around the counties and related laws. These responsibilities stem from the Senate's legislative authority from the Kenyan people, reflecting the nation's diversity and representing the public will.

According to Article 94 of the Kenyan Constitution, the Senate's responsibilities include:

• Considering, debating, and approving bills concerning counties
• Determining the allocation of national revenue that goes to the counties
• Exercising oversight authority over the national revenue allocated to the county governments
• Exercising oversight over state officers, including considering and determining any resolution to remove the President or the Deputy President from office.
• As such, the Senate plays a pivotal role in representing the counties and protecting their interests and governments.

Revenue Sharing and Oversight

Arguably, one of the most important roles of the Senate in Kenya is revenue sharing, which includes both vertical and horizontal sharing of revenue. Vertical revenue sharing is a joint function between the Senate and the National Assembly. Every five years, the Senate determines the basis for sharing the equitable share among the counties (Article 217 of the Constitution).

Furthermore, the Senate also plays a vital oversight role in ensuring prudent expenditure by the county governments. This role involves adopting and acting on reports from the Controller of Budget and the Auditor General.

List of Elected Senators and Their Counties

Given the Senators' crucial role, understanding who they are and the counties they represent is essential. Here is a list of the current elected senators in all the 47 counties in Kenya and the parties they were elected under:

(Please note that the information provided is accurate as of the date of this article. For the most current information, please consult the official Senate website or other reliable sources)

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