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{
    "id": 1129303,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1129303/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 99,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wambua",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13199,
        "legal_name": "Enoch Kiio Wambua",
        "slug": "enoch-kiio-wambua"
    },
    "content": "I take note of the fact that health is under the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution. It is easy for people to say that health is a devolved function, but the reality of the matter is that it is a shared function. The national Government has a component on health and the county governments also have a component on health. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, if there is any one area that both levels of government must work together to ensure that the aspirations of Articles 43 and 58 of the Constitution are attained, it is in the health sector. On the specific provisions of the proposed amendment Bill, I go on record on the matter of the constitution of the Board. Sen. (Dr.) Zani has done well to take note of that. Whereas initially the proposal was to have 10 members of the Board, a category has been dropped from the Board in favour of the other original categories. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I know that Kenya is a secular state, that we do not force people to subscribe to any religious belief. However, the Senator for Kitui County is a firm believer in religion and I subscribe to the Christian faith. To leave out the religious society from the Board, yet these people provide moral guidance to the society and are the people when things go wrong in the secular world, they bring sobriety and order in our society. I take exception that the religious society has been dropped from the membership of the Board. I do not know what explanation the drafters of the Bill have to drop the religious community from the Board. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, Clause 19 of this Bill speaks to the obligations of the employers in respect to contributions to the Fund. I am happy with that Clause for one reason. In great detail, this Clause obligates all employers, beginning with the national Government for public servants, state officers, county governments and employers in the private sector to make a contribution to the Fund in support of healthcare for the employees. To me, that is an important obligation placed on the shoulders of the employers, both the national and county governments and the private sectors. Still on the issue of obligations placed on the employers, the Bill demands that employers will match the contribution of the employees. It will no longer be a negotiation. At times, these things are lost on those negotiations. The amount of money that the employers contribute to a fund will be determined by the strength of the people seated on the table negotiating the collective bargaining agreements. It is now in the Act that employers will have to match whatever amounts employees are contributing. I think that that is a good amendment."
}