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"id": 1381826,
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"speaker_name": "Sen. Osotsi",
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"legal_name": "Osotsi Godfrey Otieno",
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"content": "intermarried with the Luos. People have bought land on either side. We do not need to politicize this issue. This 12-month period will ensure that this matter is not politicized, so that it is addressed amicably. Most importantly, this Bill provides a mechanism for dispute resolution and management by establishing ad hoc county boundaries mediation committees, where the governor, the Senator, or even a registered voter, can petition the Senate or Parliament to handle this matter. Previously people were just bringing Petitions. They were taking them to the Senate or the National Assembly, but there was no mechanism of how that would be addressed. However, this provides a mechanism and how leaders or even voters can initiate the process of mediation. Madam Temporary Speaker, this Bill addresses my concern, as a Senator for Vihiga County who is very keen to address the issue of Maseno. I think we may need more input into this Bill where it looks at only one scenario of boundary alteration. What if it does not happen? This is because from the presentation made by some colleagues, it is not an easy issue. So, in the event it does not happen, how do we manage the issue? There needs to be a second scenario of in case of no alteration, what happens? That is where the issue of revenue management and sharing of revenue, infrastructure and amenities comes in. That is one area I will be consulting the owner of the Bill to see how well that can be incorporated so that, the matter is addressed conclusively. This is because any attempt to try and address this matter and it fails, will in itself create a dispute. I remember, sometime back, in the 11th Parliament, there was an ad hoc Committee that went around Maseno collecting views. They did quite a lot of work and delivered nothing. That triggered more trouble. We need to look at that aspect so that we do not end up creating a much bigger problem. Madam Temporary Speaker, this Bill also proposes that the decision on boundary alteration will not be made by one institution or person. In June 2021, the then Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Hon. Karoney, made a statement before this Senate and ruled that Maseno is in Kisumu County, without adequate consultations. We do not want to have such scenario. We want all stakeholders to be involved in this process. The Senate, leadership, the respective counties and the National Cohesion Commission (NCC) as stated in the Bill should be involved. It should not be a unilateral decision by one institution or individual deciding about the matter. All in all, this Bill is the first attempt. I hope that the National Assembly will not reject this Bill again on the basis of it being a money Bill. This is because they rejected the last one because they said it is a money Bill. We need to resolve this matter. The NADCO has given us the basis. They recommended that we need to resolve the issue of boundaries by having a County Boundaries Bill. Let us take advantage of that. The Mover of this Bill is ready to engage in a bi-partisan manner. I am happy that, Sen. Cheruiyot, who was a Member of NADCO, is the seconder. So, let us pick from this point and engage the National Assembly in the spirit of bi-partisanship. This is so that we The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard Services, Senate."
}