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{
    "id": 1402624,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1402624/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 123,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "Governments Act. It is better if Sen. Abbas's Committee goes through the entire breadth of that law. With the experience that this House has, where we have Senators who are former governors, governors who are former Senators and Senators who were MCAs and speakers, we do not lack the experience that is needed to understand the instruments and the operations of devolution in this country at this moment. This will enable us to have a more comprehensive cleanup of that law. Remember, when that law was being drafted, nobody had practiced devolution in Kenya. However, 12 years down the line, we have learnt what can work and what cannot. As the Senate Majority Leader, I have Bills that are amending the County Governments Act, establishing the various leadership offices in our assemblies. This is part of the work that we did at the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO). I would not mind donating that contribution and legislation to Sen. Abbas's Committee if they promise to be diligent and conclude on that exercise. There are so many other suggestions that we have been given, including entrenchment of various offices in the county assembly, so that you have a more comprehensive legislation. Once the Bill is done, then it will settle devolution for another maybe four or five years before you amend the County Governments Act. I, therefore, pass the challenge to Sen. Abbas and his Committee, because the County Governments Act is the Bible of devolution. Piecemeal amendments to it is not doing justice to those who practice using this law. Otherwise, I appreciate the industry of Sen. Cherarkey in the proposal of various legislations before the House. I do not agree with him on many other things, especially what he is trying to do with Bunge Tower. I am one of those who contributed significantly in that house being there. I served as a Commissioner for five years. We did the best that we could under very difficult circumstances. When we found Bunge Tower, there was nothing other than a junkyard. By the time I left the Commission, it was standing tall on the skylines of Nairobi. In fact, what Sen. Kinyua and Sen. Korir have done, is apply paint and open the building. The bulk of the work was done by the previous Commission. I do not know why Sen. Cherarkey all of a sudden--- I know he loves his office at the Kenyatta International Conventional Centre (KICC) for reasons that I cannot discuss on the camera. Why can he not remain in KICC without disparaging our very ultra modern building of the Bunge Tower? That building has state-of-the-art facilities and modern committee rooms. I know they have not concluded many of the things that need to be done there, but that building is built well. The offices may not be as large as Members would have wanted. I do not know if that is still the plan because Sen. Kinyua and Sen. Korir are not there. Initially, we were squeezing Members into those offices and they have been partitioned in a way that can easily be moved, to provide space to renovate the current Continental House, so that when we have sufficient space in both Continental House and Bunge Tower, Members can have slightly larger offices and not what it is. That was the plan by the time I was in the Commission. 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 and AudioServices, Senate."
}