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{
    "id": 1243205,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1243205/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 346,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "opportunity to sit here on their behalf, you find empty seats in both Houses of Parliament. It is something I have never understood. I, therefore, urge that we be present on Tuesday so that we conclude on that important business. In summary, out of the 33 Bills published in the Senate, the following are pending consideration; 19 are at the Second Reading Stage; five are at the Committee of the Whole, two of which are listed in today’s Order Paper at Order Nos.10 and 11 for Division. It is obvious to everyone whether we will have Division or not. A further six are undergoing concurrence pursuant to Article 110(3) of the Constitution of the Republic of Kenya. Hon. Senators, from the foregoing, it is evident that the processing of Bills is slow-paced. Contributing factors to this state of affairs include unavailability of Movers to prosecute their business, lack of quorum which I have addressed myself to, and lack of sufficient county delegations which I have also talked about this afternoon. I therefore cannot overemphasize the need for Senators to prioritize House business in the plenary for Movers of Bills to be available in the Chamber and for Senators to remain in the House until conclusion of business. It is also imperative for the Senate Majority and Senate Minority Whips to mobilize the requisite number of Senators for Divisions on Bills to be undertaken promptly. While this has not been done, I believe it will be done in the course of the day. Yesterday at the SBC meeting, we received a report, point by point comparison, of how much business the previous Senate had transacted by this point of their term. It mirrors almost word for word that we have done equal work in the last nine months of our existence as compared to the previous Senate, yet the previous Senate, because of the disputed presidential election, it did not properly sit until December 2017. We have been in this House since September 2022, yet because of what I have just described, we continue to face these challenges. I appeal to colleagues, please let us take the business of this House seriously. The Petitions process is gaining prominence where members of the public are exercising their right under Articles 37 and 119 of the Constitution to submit prayers for the Senate to consider any matter within its authority. There are presently 19 Petitions which have been referred to the various committees. This is true because they are listed in today’s order paper. I urge the respective Standing Committees to which these Petitions have been referred to expedite consideration of the Petitions and table reports pursuant to Standing Order No.238(2). I mentioned earlier while commenting about Petitions that this is a continuous stamp of approval that members of the public give us as a House. The fact that they keep on sending Petitions before this House, including the ones we had today, means something. A matter that had been taken to the National Assembly was not properly resolved and it found its way to this House through a Petition by students of Kenyatta University. That is a stamp of approval. That is people saying that they believe in the Senate that we can dispense of this business. It is my hope that our colleagues who serve in the various committees will expeditiously consider those Petitions and report the relevant businesses."
}