The Senate is set to get a digital system to track resolutions passed by Kenya's 47 county assemblies. The State Department for Devolution has invited consultants to design and build the system.

In a consultancy notice shared on Tuesday, October 27, and reported by Kenyans.co.ke, the department asked individual consultants to express interest in developing an online database of county assembly resolutions. The notice says the database is "aimed at improving transparency, monitoring, and accountability in the legislative process".

Built around the Senate's role

According to the notice, the system will support the Senate's mandate under Article 96 of the Constitution, which requires the House to represent the counties and protect their interests and those of their governments. It is meant to serve as a central platform where resolutions are recorded and their progress followed. The notice says it will also improve coordination and legislative practice across county assemblies and make it easier to find information on county-level legislative decisions.

The work will be paid for through the Second Kenya Devolution Support Programme (KDSP-II), which the World Bank finances. The programme backs reforms in county financing and spending, intergovernmental coordination and the oversight and accountability of devolved units.

The department wants an individual consultant with relevant qualifications and experience. Applicants must submit a CV, professional registration or licensing certificates, and testimonials. The deadline is 11am on November 12, 2026. Bids can be emailed or dropped in the tender box on the fifth floor of Teleposta Towers on Kenyatta Avenue, Nairobi.

Why tracking matters

County assemblies pass a steady stream of motions and resolutions. These range from orders to fix stalled projects to censure and impeachment motions against county officials. At present there is no central platform where the Senate can follow what each assembly has decided, which is the gap the database is meant to fill.

The Senate has long complained that its own oversight is ignored at county level. Senate Speaker Amason Kingi has publicly faulted governors for failing to act on Senate resolutions meant to curb the mismanagement of county funds, The Standard has reported. In August, a Senate fiscal index flagged 27 counties for failing to spend the legally required 35 per cent of their budgets on development in 2024/25.

A shared database could give senators a clearer picture of what MCAs are flagging in their counties. That would include audit concerns, stalled projects and disputes with county executives, which senators could pursue through their own committees.

The notice does not say how assemblies will be required to feed data into the system or when it should go live. It also does not say whether members of the public will be able to see it. Those details are likely to be set out in the consultant's terms of reference.

The plan comes as the Senate's relationship with governors remains tense. Several governors have been summoned, fined or threatened with arrest over the past year for failing to appear before the County Public Accounts Committee to answer audit queries.

Photos: Senate of Kenya (a plenary sitting); Parliament of Kenya (the Senate Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations in session), via Kenyans.co.ke