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{
    "id": 1267706,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1267706/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 188,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cherarkey",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13217,
        "legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
        "slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
    },
    "content": "authority do not come. There is a famous saying in the French Revolution that “absolute power corrupts absolutely”. This is what is happening in Konza Technopolis. I only have one problem; why is it an offense for you to account for taxpayers’ money? I thought everybody in this country should be happy when you are called to account for the money that the public gives you. This is a public entity. We know of many companies such as Huawei and Samsung that have pitched tents in Konza Technopolis. Kenyans must get value. Madam Temporary Speaker, you are a learned senior in this profession, the only way to get value is by not taxing something that has no legal framework. We want Konza Technopolis to have a legal framework in the future. I urge Sen. Orwoba that when it comes to the Third Reading, let us include counties. We want counties to be part of this and benefit. I would have expected that in the board, at least we ensure a representative from the Council of Governors (CoG) and of course the Upper House, the Senate. This is because I have seen the ICT Minister everywhere in matters of Wi-Fi and many others. In the upshot ruling when this matter came up, I heard the then Chief Justice Willy Mutunga asking:” When you want to do a budget implementation, do you implement it within a county or outside the boundaries of the county?” I do not remember the proper citation. This is because counties are within Kenya. We have 47 county governments, one indivisible people and one nation. Therefore, I expect the representative of the CoG and the Senate or the Parliament to be here on this board. This is so that we can be effective in terms of the board authority that it has. Sen. Orwoba is one of us in the Kenya Kwanza Coalition and the ruling party, of course. She is aware of the position of the Kenya Kwanza Government and President William Ruto. We are going to ensure that we have digital jobs, ICT hubs in the 290 constituencies across the county and for several county governments. Therefore, counties become important. In Article 96, the Senate represents the interest of the counties and therefore, this being our baby, we can decide how this baby will grow. We can either take it to an international school, a normal school or even not to take it to school. I know Sen. Orwoba is open to many ideas to enrich the Bill. I expect that she will relook at it so that we can also defend it. Madam Temporary Speaker, I am also aware that some individuals have run to National Assembly to try and duplicate the Bill. I have heard people arguing about Article 113, the excuses given about the Mung Bill, and they are writing concurrence letters. I can tell you, as a Parliament under Article 93 of the Constitution, each and every one of us has an opportunity to generate a Bill. Since you sit in the Senate Business Committee (SBC), I propose that if we want to work together with National Assembly, which is the Lower House, we can agree on co-sponsoring Bills. Where you can have a Senator sponsoring a Bill and then we have a colleague in the National Assembly Seconding. That is how we enrich the role of Parliament. Let us ask the National Assembly not to be excited about fighting us. They have tried to fight us before but we won. In 2013 on the Division of Revenue Bill, this House won. When yours truly was one of the powerful chairpersons of Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights in the last session, we pleaded with your department. We have defeated them in the courts of law. We are not interested in fights in the courts of law, we The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard Services,Senate."
}