Senators have invited the Busia County Government to come up with laws that will unlock the economic potential of its border position so as to increase the county’s own-source revenue.
Guided by Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, the legislators made the call during a courtesy visit to Governor Paul Otuoma as part of the ongoing Senate Mashinani sittings in Busia. The weeklong program is aimed at bringing the Senate activities closer to the people and deepening the gains of devolution.
Speaker Kingi encouraged the county leadership and residents to actively participate in the sessions, asserting that their input was critical to policy formulation and hence development in frontier counties like Busia.
Governor Otuoma stated that counties bordering Kenya were usually affected by cross-border interactions, with pressure on social services and security being among the challenges. He suggested that such counties should be allocated more resources by the national government to enable them offer support to the locals.
In addition to this, the senators had a chat with members of the Busia County Assembly about ways in which legislative oversight of the county executive could be improved. They emphasized that the enactment of effective checks and balances was the key to accountability and good service delivery.
