Former Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka has been elected the Speaker of the Senate.
Mr. Lusaka takes over from Ekwe Ethuro. He was elected in the second round of voting,in which he garnered 42 votes out of the 67 votes available for grabs.
His challenger Farah Maalim got 25 votes. In the first round of voting, Mr Lusaka garnered 40 votes as Mr Maalim managed 23.
Earlier on, Senators allied to the opposition had questioned his fitness to vie for the position. Led by Siaya Senator James Orengo, the senators claimed that Lusaka had been reported to the Senate over corruption.
But Senate Clerk Jeremiah Nyegenye ruled that the allegations against Mr Lusaka had not been proven, and that the petition had not been adopted by the House so as to be considered as an indictment on him.
Mr Nyegenye ruled that the electoral commission, IEBC, “which has the wherewithal and infrastructure” to determine eligibilities of candidates seeking political office gave Mr Lusaka a clean bill of health.
“I will seek to ensure that the relationship between the Senate and the county governments is improved. We want to put the issues we have behind us,” said Mr Lusaka.
