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{
    "id": 1063807,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1063807/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 174,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wamatangi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 646,
        "legal_name": "Paul Kimani Wamatangi",
        "slug": "paul-kimani-wamatangi"
    },
    "content": "When the Auditor-General was reporting to the Senate, he reports together with all the revenue that is collected at the county level, but we were barred by a court ruling that we could not look at the funds that have been allocated to our counties. This is knowing very well the problems that we have, even today, of accountability at the county governments’ level. I believe that following these amendments, now we can freely and lawfully make sure that we look at what is happening at the county governments’ level and, indeed, the funds that are collected locally within our counties. That is an area that we can speak until tomorrow. On the question of the composition of how this House, I have expressed myself before, as the Senator for Kiambu. I have said that I believe that as history judges what we did, as the Senators, who sat here before, the jury is out there, as to whether we did our best to represent a more strengthened Senate. This is to ensure that the representation that will be here will be firm, strong and carry on the work that this House has done. I believe that if we had stuck to the process of elections that had been proposed in our earlier system, where we have 47 elected Senators that would be better off. But now that the proposal is there to have 94 members sitting in this House, so be it. Madam Temporary Speaker, on the question of Article 107 (a) on the creation of the Office of Leader of Official Opposition, let me strongly express my views on it. I believe that it is a positive move. For the last eight years that we have been in this House, one of the questions that has been bogging the mind of Kenyans is if we still have a robust opposition that can put the Government on its toes. Can we have hard questions being asked by somebody who is not saying they are still a part of the system and so we have to comply? Looking into the future, I believe it is the right time we have an Official Opposition Leader in the House. For posterity, we will be able to look at that person of the team in the eye and ask if they have seen what the governor of the day is doing. We have a history that speaks for itself. Many times, I have listened to Sen. Orengo narrate how as a House, they put up a fight to have the repeal of Section 2A. We do not want to get to a position in the history of our country where we do not have a firm Opposition that is independent of Government. Madam Speaker, since we came to this House in 2013, most of the time when the leadership of this House has had to stand and make our case, we have been ridiculed. I remember one time I was personally sitting in a meeting and the Senate Majority Leader was in that meeting. A comment was made; “Do you know that your position is not even in the Constitution? So, what are you coming to tell us?” That is why I laud the inclusion of Article 108(a) which ensures the leadership on the Senate is now entrenched in the Constitution. It is no longer a case that can be used either in jest to ridicule or look like it is a favour that you have a leader sitting in the bicameral system in the “Upper House”, who is a Majority Leader, but unrecognized by the Constitution. That is why I think if one would ask if there have been good proposals in this Bill, I believe those are some of the positive aspects of the Bill. The structure of leadership in this House is clear."
}