Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1003693,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1003693/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 116,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cherargei",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13217,
        "legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
        "slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
    },
    "content": "The other day, we heard that the county where the Senate Minority Leader comes from has a challenge of ICU beds just like any other county. I heard the Cabinet Secretary for Health, hon. Kagwe, say that he wants to dismantle the mafia or “Afya” cartels in the Ministry although there are rumours of Cabinet changes. We are looking at the issue of accountability and transparency. The fight against COVID-19 is not only about the disease. It is also about ensuring that we retain the economic stability of the many young Kenyans who have lost their jobs because of the lockdown and the curfew. Last Friday but one, the Nandi County Assembly investigated the loss or mismanagement of around Kshs190 million that was meant for the fight against COVID- 19 because we have not seen sanitisers and masks. It means that it is a big problem. It is not an issue only for Taita-Taveta because other counties also have a similar problem. I can see the Chair is here. In the morning, I heard Sen. Sakaja say that the former Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Murkomen, de-whipped him from a committee but he did well by making him the Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on COVID-19, so that they look at issues collectively because it is not only about Taita-Taveta. I know they visited Isiolo but they have not visited the North Rift where the Deputy Speaker also comes from. As they look into this, I urge my brother, Sen. Sakaja, who the other day was cartooned Kupiga Ngeta, to also include the North Rift in the programme. These include Elgeyo-Marakwet County that Sen. Murkomen represents and Uasin Gishu County. We also have the Rivatex that is doing a good job. The Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) is one of the key partners in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic in the western part of this country. Madam Deputy Speaker, we need to fight corruption within the COVID-19 Pandemic because we do not want to have a pandemic inside another pandemic. I believe that the Chairperson and Members of the Ad Hoc Committee on COVID-19 Pandemic will give us a way forward to ensure we cushion Kenyans, bring the country together and minimise infections across the country. Even as we raise the issue of accountability and transparency, we should also celebrate health workers on the frontline who work very hard to ensure that the effects of COVID-19, both economic and health-wise, are mitigated so that we move to the future. I challenge Sen. Sakaja-led Committee to give us tangible way forward on how counties can harmonise the fight against COVID-19 pandemic but we should not bring corruption pandemic inside the pandemic itself."
}