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{
    "id": 1269198,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1269198/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 258,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "I only have one or two things to note. Before I get to the challenges that I have noted with the Bill, allow me to celebrate what I would consider to be glorious provisions that have been made on this particular Bill. You read about the obligations in the implementation of this Act or the enactment of the respective county legislation that should be taken into consideration. This Bill now obligates and shall be applicable to all our 47 county governments. Therefore, it shall not be different in one as you move to the other. First, is the need to protect consumers of goods, services, ensure public safety, and provide and promote environmental protection. This is important because it is being assumed, and rightly so, as Sen. Mariam Omar notes, that if you unify the county licensing procedure, there are challenges that certain counties will not be very keen or diligent while observing these provisions. They say, in any case, if we are not the ones that make the final determination of how this particular licensing procedure is, then they do not have to ensure compliance. For example, there is the issue of environment that is a very potent conversation going on in our county and globally as well. We are preparing in the month of September to host a big global conference on climate change. Therefore, it is encouraging to see that as we do our legislations, we are speaking to issues such as the promotion of environmental protection. Let us say you are in a business that a county government actually requires you to provide evidence. For example, people who are in the renewable energy space need to provide office of disposable part of the wares that you trade in are well handled in ways approved by the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA). You do not dump illegally the effluence and waste that are by-products of whatever you are producing. That there is that obligation on you. If we make it uniform in terms of the procedure for determination, then you will find that certain counties are strong in enforcement, while others are not. That can bring a challenge because county governments are what the leaders of those counties have chosen them to be. If you find a county government where the Governor or those that are responsible are keen to enforce environmental protection laws, then you will be obligated to do the same. If you find a county where there is no strength to follow up on the same, then you may find people disregarding those laws, and that can present a very serious challenge. Therefore, it is good that we have made it a provision in law that the obligation is on you. Despite the fact that this is a uniform procedure and there will be one platform upon which we license all these businesses across the county, we are not taking away your power as a county to oversight and ensure that there is enforcement of standards of goods. For example, if people consume contaminated food in a particular hotel, you will not blame the unified procedures and say that you used to do it differently. I believe all county governments will sign on. This is because the minute we pass this Bill as a Senate of the Republic of Kenya, it will apply to all the 47 county governments. It will be tantamount to a voice of all the people of Kenya. We will still have placed the obligation on the local county to ensure that those standards are observed. 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."
}