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{
    "id": 1227553,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1227553/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 261,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "We came together and pulled together in close ranks across political party divides and ensured that our colleagues who had been arrested in the course of their duty were brought back to this House before debate on anything could commence. That was quite a high. It is not every day that colleagues close ranks and fight for each other. Oversight of county governments and assemblies by Senate committees is quite an important exercise that we undertake through our various committees. We had well- coordinated impeachment processes bringing order to county governments. We have saved governors on this Floor and we have hanged some. Both difficult experiences because there are days where we have acquitted some and that has not been easy. Most of the times, we have had to sit until late at night. There are sometimes that we sat up to almost 2.00 a.m. or 3.00 a.m. in the morning because of statutory deadlines. Nonetheless, we guided the specific county assemblies in the right way complete with exit reports from the committee or the plenary guiding them on what to do to handle a particular situation. What are some of our lows as a House in the past ten years as I reflect and thing through? Quickly off my mind, I remember the stalemate with the National Assembly and the national Government over the Division of Revenue Bill. Quite famous in the Eleventh Parliament where the National Assembly was grappling with appreciating that the Senate had arrived, we were the new kid on the block and we were ready and willing to defend the place of devolution in our Constitution. On many afternoons, the National Assembly spent useful public time discussing individual Senators as opposed to our position and what we stood for in the family of devolution. It has not been an easy time. Secondly, arrest of Sen. Malalah, Sen. Langát and Sen. (Dr.) Lelegwe, over a standoff related to the passage of Second-Generation Formula was very unfortunate. That was quite a difficult time for us as a House, but I appreciate what all of us did together. Those that were in support of the formula proposed and those that were against it, all stood firm and said the state had taken their game too far. Until we were given a credible explanation of where our colleagues were; they were unconditionally released is when debate resumed. There was the Council of Governors (CoG) and Senate stand standoff over oversight funds, especially conditional grants and the High Court judgment limiting oversight mandate of the Senate. That was quite a low. I must speak of it. On that afternoon we retreated back to reflect on the judgment of the High Court. The judge, in his finding, tried to limit the role of a Senate in oversighting funds to the specific counties which funds we could go through. That was a difficult moment. On one hand, you have the public charging at you and demanding of you that, “you are the Senator of Siaya, Senator of Nyamira, Senator for Nyandarua, and so on.” What are you doing as Governor x, y and z is misappropriating public funds? The courts on the other side are telling us that you cannot do that on certain specific things that ordinary citizens do not understand. All they want is to see public money spent prudently. That was quite a low time for us."
}