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{
    "id": 1219631,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1219631/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 253,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cherarkey",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13217,
        "legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
        "slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
    },
    "content": "On behalf of the great people of Nandi County, I take this opportunity to welcome the members of the County Assembly of Bungoma. I know they are in the Senate to learn the parliamentary best practices. I extend a warm welcome to them and state that all the Committees under your guidance and through your office, will facilitate and ensure they are given the necessary support to ensure that when they report back to their work stations, they will able to discharge their duties with professionalism, ensure it is mwananchi centered and be proud of themselves. I assure them that Members of County Assembly (MCAs) are the first line of defense for the ordinary mwananchi and that is why when there is a problem in the village, the first person the people will go to is their local MCA; be it issues of school fees, development, funerals or any other problems that they face. The first line of defence on the ground is the MCAs. They play the primary oversight role. In conclusion, it is unfortunate that the country and, especially the Salaries and Renumeration Commission (SRC) continues to look down on MCAs. They are treated with contempt. The SRC does not want MCAs to be well resourced. It is against the best practices if they are not well-resourced and motivated. If Bungoma County is getting billions of shillings, they can oversight the governor at that level. MCAs are well resourced to oversight the governor so that when a cattle dip is built, when an Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) project is being built, when hospitals and dispensaries are being built, the people and the MCAs of Bungoma are able to do their oversight properly. The SRC must be called out. I agree on the issue of car grants that the Members of the National Assembly and the Senate are not taxed. Why is the SRC operating in a discriminatory manner by telling them that they must tax their car grant which is against the best practices that we have? There was a Gazette Notice that was issued by SRC to cut down on their allowances yet these are the people who do a lot of work. I can tell you when you see those MCAs, some of them are earning less than Kshs20,000 or Kshs15,000, but they are able to go around the village for harambees and other activities. We should give them the respect they deserve. These are not the ordinary councillors that were there in the past. These are MCAs with a Speaker, a county assembly, a county government and a county executive. I want to assure the MCAs of Bungoma that so long as I am still in the House of the Senate and Parliament, I will always champion for the best interests of the MCAs wherever they are. Be it in Bungoma or any of the 47 counties, you can always hear my voice pushing, not only for you to get the best, but to get to serve your people at the lowest level in Bungoma. Finally, I went to campaign in Kabuchai - I do not know whether the area Senator knows - and I ended up sleeping in Bungoma Police Station during the era of our former President. I slept in Bungoma Police Station. I had campaigned in Kabuchai. I have learned a few lessons."
}