LODWAR — In a bid to strengthen its institutional capacity and sharpen its constitutional mandate, the County Assembly of Elgeyo-Marakwet has concluded a strategic benchmarking mission to the County Assembly of Turkana.
The visiting delegation was hosted by Turkana County Assembly Speaker Rt. Hon. Charles Lokioto Ewoi in Lodwar on August 26, 2026. Led by Elgeyo-Marakwet Deputy Speaker Hon. Paul Kipyatich, the delegation included Assembly Members Hon. Paul Suter, Hon. Rosa Cherop, Hon. Tabitha Kimoning, Hon. Sally Kosgei, Hon. Dominic Chesire, and Hon. Evans Kosgei, along with a technical team headed by Deputy Clerk Mr. Elias Maritim.
The bilateral engagement centered on key operational areas, including enacted local laws, the implementation of an e-Parliament system to digitize house proceedings, dynamic public participation models, and enhanced accountability mechanisms.
A major highlight of the visit was a walkthrough of Turkana’s Bunge Mashinani initiative, a grassroots model designed to bring assembly proceedings directly to residents. The program aims to deepen public engagement, strengthen executive oversight, and ensure the legislative process directly aligns with local community needs.
The delegation also examined Turkana’s practical execution of “Question Time” sessions, a parliamentary oversight tool enabling Ward Representatives to demand accountability and directly quiz County Executive Committee members on service delivery issues.
Additionally, the hosts shared strategies on tapping development partner funding to supplement exchequer allocations and build resilient institutional capacity.
Speaking during the forum, Speaker Ewoi emphasized that peer learning between county assemblies remains vital to improving public service delivery and advancing the overall goals of devolution.
Deputy Speaker Kipyatich noted that Elgeyo-Marakwet specifically sought to extract practical insights from Turkana’s progress in parliamentary technology, community outreach, and legislative oversight.
The exchange reflects a broader drive across Kenya’s 47 county assemblies to embrace inter-county collaboration, modernizing assembly operations and reinforcing democratic accountability within the devolved system of government.
