1. Parliamentary committees are essential organs of legislatures that handle business in greater depth than is possible in Plenary. They allow legislatures to organize their work so they can undertake many activities simultaneously and efficiently, build consensus on key issues, and examine them in detail.
2. Committees are generally mandated to-
3. investigate, inquire into and report on all matters relating to the mandate, management, activities, administration and operations of the assigned Ministries and departments and agencies;
4. pursuant to Article 96(3) of the Constitution, to exercise oversight over national revenue allocated to the county governments;
5. pursuant to Article 229(7) and (8), to examine the reports of the Auditor-General on the annual accounts of the county governments;
6. review proposed laws in detail, allowing for thorough examination before they are presented for debate at the Plenary;
7. scrutinize whether a statutory instrument complies with the provisions of the Constitution, the Act pursuant to which it is made and other relevant written laws;
8. consider reports of Commissions and Independent Offices submitted to the Senate pursuant to the provisions of Article 254 of the Constitution; and
9. follow-up and report on the status of implementation of resolutions within their mandate.
10. Committees focus attention on specific issues and engender meaningful deliberations. They study issues and report back to the House, which allows Senators to focus their attention on a subject matter, study it in detail, deepen their understanding of the issue(s) and make informed decisions.
11. Committees also perform functions which the House is limited to perform in its corporate and collective form, such as— 
    1. inviting members of the public and stakeholders to present oral evidence and written memoranda; 
    2. sitting as frequently and longer as is desirable and sitting away from the precincts of the Senate; 
    3. availing an environment for presentation of details, sifting through evidence and formulating reasoned recommendations; and
    4. carrying out inspection visits in the counties and conducting inquiries into various matters of national concern.

Legal Provisions on Committees

1. Article 93 of the Constitution establishes the Senate and the National Assembly, with the roles of Parliament defined at Article 94 to include legislation, representation and oversight. Article 96 further provides for the specific roles of the Senate which include the core mandate of representing counties and protecting the interests of counties and their governments. Additionally, the Senate is mandated with allocating national revenue among counties and oversight over those resources as well as oversight over State officers.
2. Article 124 (1) of the Constitution provides that each House of Parliament may establish committees and shall make Standing Orders for the orderly conduct of its proceedings, including the proceedings of its committees. 
3. The Senate Standing Orders provide for, among others, establishment, mandate, membership, quorum, decision making procedures and reporting by Committees.