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{
"id": 1194405,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1194405/?format=api",
"text_counter": 377,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Tharaka, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. George Murugara",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. It has been a long wait, but it is worthy every second to wait and contribute to the very important proposal that is before the House. It is a constitutional amendment proposal, and we know the threshold. That is why everybody is saying that we do not just need to talk here, and support, but we must appear on the crucial days and do what would be required of us. We attribute this constitutional amendment and credit the two Members, Hon. Githinji Gichimu of Gichugu and Hon. Stephen Mule of Matungulu. Kudos to these two Members for putting on paper what every Member is thinking. Therefore, you have our support. What we urge you to do is to ensure that the Office of the Speaker moves quickly so that we have sufficient public participation and we have a draft Bill that will be brought to the House for readings. Eventually, if we are lucky, we shall pass it. That way, we will entrench these funds in the Constitution. The court, which is always hell bent on declaring whatever we do unconstitutional especially with regards the NG-CDF, will have nothing to complain about. As we debate today, let us pay tribute to those who invented the NG-CDF, Hon. (Eng) Muriuki Karue of Ol Kalou, as it was those years, Hon. Mwangi Githiomi of Kipipiri, and the others who were all here. What they started as an experiment has become one of the noblest things this country has done for the poor man. To start with, the NG-CDF is absolutely for the poor, those who cannot build schools, pay school fees, or build offices for administrators. Weighing on what we have done with the NG-CDF, it behoves on every Member to support it. When it comes to the NGAAF, which is for Woman Representatives in this House, this is also for the poor. It is an affirmative action fund for the marginalised and the poor, including women, the youth, people with disability, and the others. The Senate Oversight Fund is merited in that Senators have no fund to draw from when doing their oversight. It will be debated when the time comes, whether they are going to get this from the revenue of the national Government or the share of the county allocation depending on how much it is and what they are to get. The other fund that is for economic empowerment of the less privileged and the hustlers down at the bottom is also a very important fund. We as Parliament must guard against somebody going to court to say that fund is also unconstitutional. This is why this merited proposal is before us. For sure, we believe it is going to become a Bill one day and we shall debate it in this House as required. It is important to note that what we have today is a proposal. After that, it is going to become a constitutional amendment) Bill. If it passes, it will have its position in the Constitution as various Articles. Thereafter, this House will have to go into legislation to harmonise the NG-CDF with its own Act of Parliament. The Act of 2015 is still in force, although there are threats to annul it. We will also have another Act of Parliament for the Senate Oversight Fund that will have provisions. We will also have another Act of Parliament in respect of the NGAAF, and another Act of Parliament in respect of the Economic Empowerment Fund. Thereunder, I am sure we will have regulations that will make sure that all these funds are applied in accordance with the Constitution, Acts of Parliament and the regulations we are going to pass. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}