Sifuna, Osotsi Ousted from Powerful Oversight Committees*

The changes, effected on Tuesday, July 29, see Sifuna moved from the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) to the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. Osotsi has been transferred from the Senate County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee (CPISFC) to the Standing Committee on National Cohesion, Equal Opportunity and Regional Integration.

Sifuna's seat in CPAC has been taken over by Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo, while Senator Joseph Githuku has also been nominated to the committee chaired by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang'. In CPISFC, Taita Taveta Senator Johnes Mwaruma replaces Osotsi, with nominated Senator Hezena Lemaletian also joining the committee.

The reshuffle is reported to have been pushed by Broad-Based Coalition senators from the Minority side, most of whom are members of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).

The move comes amid widening divisions within ODM following the emergence of the Linda Mwananchi movement, a faction that has openly criticized the party's leadership and opposed its cooperation with the Kenya Kwanza administration. Sifuna and Osotsi have been among the most vocal figures associated with the group.

CPAC and CPISFC are regarded as the Senate's most powerful oversight committees, tasked with scrutinizing how county governments spend billions of shillings in public funds. They review Auditor-General reports, summon governors to account for questionable expenditure, pending bills, and stalled development projects, and can recommend investigations by agencies such as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

By moving the two lawmakers to less influential committees, the reshuffle significantly reduces their direct role in the Senate's oversight of county governments.

For Sifuna, the latest development marks another setback within the Senate. It comes barely two weeks after he was removed as Senate Minority Whip on July 16 and replaced by Migori Senator Eddy Oketch, further fueling speculation over shifting political dynamics within ODM.