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{
    "id": 1372207,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1372207/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 252,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Olekina",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 407,
        "legal_name": "Ledama Olekina",
        "slug": "ledama-olekina"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, him and I just came from another committee, where we had concerns about the Cabinet Secretaries’ decisions and the powers that they have. However, that is for another day. Let me try and summarize my points as follows. I firmly believe that it is about time, with the help of the secretariat, that we set up a committee that scrutinises Bills that are seconded to this House from the National Assembly. I say that because of the experience of Bills that we sent from this House to the National Assembly. Most of the Bills that we sent to the National Assembly do not get the concurrence. Those that get concurrence are not prioritized. In fact, most of the time, they are sent to the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) for them to look at the implication. In the same spirit, we should also be looking at the constitutionality of legislative proposals that are brought from the National Assembly. We should not be quick to debate and pass them. The first thing we should have seen is that the Constitution states that county public works and services, including water and sanitation services, are devolved. Unless you are telling us that you are going to amend or throw this Constitution out of the way, there is absolutely no way these amendments will hold. If we are pushed to pass these amendments, someone will go to court and ask the same question that I am asking here today; why can we not empower Murang’a County, which provides water to Nairobi City County, to sell water and make money for the people of Murang’a? Why should we create another body that has the powers to borrow money, so that it continues dipping us deeper into the hole of debt? Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the advantage of leaving water services to the county governments is clear. It allows for proper public participation. It allows for the people in the counties to get water because they are the only ones who understand their water needs."
}