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{
    "id": 594079,
    "url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/594079/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 244,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, members of the public in the county of Elgeyo-Marakwet have sent me a message on WhatsApp complaining that the Senator is sleeping. They are asking me why I am not reining in members of the county assembly who were compromised to throw out a report that was well documented in relation to that process. I told them that I am a man who sticks with the law, and will fight corruption within the procedures of the law. I requested those members of the public who are complaining that they should now write a petition to the Senate stating that the county assembly threw out the report that was well documented. It will be received in this House, committed to the Committee headed by Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale and I will read it. That is when we will descend on those who are stealing public funds in Elgeyo- Marakwet. We will land in Iten and listen to the county assembly members, listen to the people and read the HANSARD to find out why they threw out the report. We will determine the intelligence of their communication, their consistency and, finally, agree whether there was misappropriation of funds or not. This is a House of reason. This is a House that is willing to follow the procedures. That is why I am saying that for the sake of relations between county assemblies and this House, it is important that we allow county assemblies to go through their processes; then this being a House of wisdom, the Upper House and the final House of appeal on matters of county government, we can now descent on that county, look at the procedure and the issues at hand. We do not want to condone corruption. We want to ensure that corruption is rooted out from both national and county governments. It should not just be lip service. The tools that are going to be applied in fighting corruption in this House must be enabled. That is why this Motion is providing for the independence of this House. It is very important because it can be frustrating from other quarters, especially if it is going to be managed by those who do not understand the rigors and the difficulties of fighting corruption in counties. For example, it is difficult and cumbersome in fighting corruption in a county like Kakamega with 12 constituencies or a county like Kiambu with a large population of over 2 million people or a county like Nairobi with a population of over 4 million people. They do not understand. People blame the Senator, but deny him or her tools. The commission that is now there; called the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) is composed of people who may not appreciate our work. While they are sitting in one constituency in Kakamega, there is a Senator who is sitting in 12 constituencies. We need a commission that is responsive to the needs of this House. We need a commission and it is the responsibility of this House to serve the people of Kenya. It is of no use in this country that we continue putting resources into an entity that is not accountable. That is why we need this House to be enabled to fight corruption. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in conclusion, like the Senator for Makueni said last time when we had a press conference, it is inevitable that this process and amendment require a referendum. This House must now not go to sleep. I am beginning to suspect that this House is operating on “hot and cold” basis. Today, we are “hot” because an issue has been decided in the National Assembly or because the courts have made an unfavorable decision and tomorrow when we go to sleep, we are “cold” because we are not committed in following the issues to a conclusion. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}