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{
    "id": 1381350,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1381350/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 144,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Oketch Gicheru",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "The Senate Majority Leader is exceptionally very happy today; I do not know what is going on. Perhaps he can share with us the source of his happiness in the House today or maybe his pension has been paid. Mr. Speaker, Sir, on the issue of pension, this Report is very direct. I want to address myself to the element of accumulation of this menace. If you read this Report, by 2013 when we had the defunct local authorities, the accumulation at that time was about Kshs9 billion. I think it was spread in a fraction of Kshs5 billion for LAPSSET. I think NHIF had about Kshs1 billion and then the rest had the others. Mr. Speaker, Sir, between 2013 and the time that we were scrutinizing this particular problem, we had reached Kshs85 billion. That accumulation should worry this House in the sense that it seems that it is becoming something that governors are getting very comfortable with. Mr. Speaker, Sir, they are getting comfortable to the extent that since they think that there have been previous accumulations, therefore, this cannot be a first charge in their own account such that governors are becoming notorious in terms of ensuring that these deductions are not remitted because somebody else will take responsibility, knowing very well that county governments go as a going concern. One of the most important recommendations that has been made by this Committee is forming a taskforce to conduct a proper inquiry to this issue and put the matter to rest by the National Treasury and anybody who is relevant in what has been proposed as the composition of that taskforce. This is something that this House must give a lot of weight. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would go as far as to propose that this House stand with this sole recommendation and be able to effect immediately, so that in the next 30 days after the adoption of this Report, the taskforce can be formed. Mr. Speaker, Sir, perhaps, this House should go further and require the National Treasury, after the formation of that taskforce to give it 60 days so that we can put this matter to rest in 90 days. It cannot be taken as normal that people are retiring from county governments and dying without seeing their NSSF money that they contributed. Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale talked about what Sen. Thang’wa has proposed that governors should come to this House instead of committees. I do not agree with it. However, the twist would be if we can move this process fast so that we can deal with 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."
}