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{
    "id": 1085871,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1085871/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 280,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Zani",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13119,
        "legal_name": "Agnes Zani",
        "slug": "agnes-zani"
    },
    "content": "Madam Deputy Speaker, apart from laws, we have Motions, Statements and Committee proceedings. Every other day, you find Members coming to the Floor of this House to give these. This afternoon, we had Sen. Malalah, Sen. Olekina and several Members speak to it. What happens when the Motions go out? Maybe they go to the relevant Ministries and then land on an officer’s desk, and therein lies the disconnect. We do not know which officer is handling the matter or how far the implementation process has gone. Neither do we know whether the implementation process has started and stopped, whether it is about to start or started and ceased and will be reactivated after some time. Therein lies the lacuna. This amendment Bill tries to impose a statutory obligation on public officers to provide feedback to Parliament on its resolutions and recommendations that have been given through various Committees and processes they have engaged. Not only does that feedback need to be given, but needs to be given in a timely, more organised fashion and according to this amendment Bill. This Bill proposes a penalty clause of not more than Kshs500,000 or a jail term of not more than six months or both in case that does not happen. That Parliament can follow through this specific obligation, or action is required from this particular Ministry. Madam Deputy Speaker, you will know that many times, even within Committee when we are probing Statements or seeking our Statements to be addressed by various Ministries, sometimes you find the clerks have to follow up to find out where it has gone and who is addressing it. The overarching responsibility lies with the Cabinet Secretary, but most of the time a lot of engagement is done. I remember as part of the strategy some people were saying we engage specific officers. Yes, sometimes we get the feedback. However, most of the time, it is delayed and it takes a lot of time. For us to be able to engage and ensure that this sort of situation is addressed, we must come up with oversight mechanisms that Parliament to able to monitor actions of the Executive and other independent officers. This will give us a sense of progress and ensure accountability. I know for many people when they finish their term, there is a feeling of “What have I achieved? I brought this Motion or Statement; what happened? What is the follow up? How did it really work?” It gives a sense of accountability, transparency and responsibility for the Members of Parliament and, at the same time, also for the members in the other arms of Government. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}