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{
    "id": 1425289,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1425289/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 226,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Maanzo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13589,
        "legal_name": "Maanzo Daniel Kitonga",
        "slug": "maanzo-daniel-kitonga"
    },
    "content": "That happened to Sen. (Dr.) Zani’s Bill on co-operatives. She really worked on it, but when it got to the National Assembly, it underwent a natural death. Now that she is no longer in Parliament, it is very difficult to revive it. However, I have seen a new co- operatives Bill and I think that is a blessing. While in the National Assembly, I sponsored a Bill to deal with snakebites because people from Lower Eastern and Coastal regions experience many snakebites and many of them die. Snakes have gone unchecked by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and neither has it provided the necessary first aid medications for snakebites. That Bill never even got to the Senate. Time passed despite a lot of pushing for five years. We have passed many Bills here, but I can assure you as soon as they get to the National Assembly, they will never be processed. They begin with the question; is it a money Bill? Almost every Bill has a money element. Unfortunately, out of that biasness, it is declared a money Bill, which should have originated from the National Assembly. The effort of a Member of the Senate ends up being in futility. I had a lot of hope when Hon. Wetangula became the Speaker of the National Assembly. I thought he would do something because he understands this House and the National Assembly because he has been in both. I believe he is going to be instrumental in bringing the right interpretations. During his tenure, those attacks have reduced. We have our Speaker and the Deputy Speaker. Hon. Kingi is an experienced lawyer and administrator, having been in the National Assembly and having been a Minister and governor before ending up in this House. He too carries the experiences of the two Houses. That has provided a lot of peace in many things, especially when it comes to where the two Speakers have to sit and agree on the way forward on a Bill. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, that notwithstanding, I do not know how this unfortunate Bill has found itself getting voted at the National Assembly and being forwarded here. I believe the two very-experienced lawyers should have ruled it unconstitutional on the face of it. I have seen this practice over the years where Speakers allow the Houses to have their day and make decisions instead of making the decision for us. We are now at the right position to make a decision. I also believe that the decision will make in this House will not be contested elsewhere, even at the National Assembly. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I would like to point out one issue only although, I do not know what Sen. Sifuna thinks of it. When we were dealing with the Affordable Housing Bill, we raised the issue of the public participation of this House. We said that whenever public participation takes place in another House, we should also do public participation when that bill comes to this House as well. I expect that when a Bill originates from here and goes to the National Assembly, it should get public participation there in accordance with Article 118. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, there was an unusual situation and I guess that is why we are at the constitutional court on the Affordable Housing Act because when it came here, we did not do public participation. Probably, we would have gotten more ideas and improved it, but that is in the past. We left it to the courts now that it has already become law and we have a hearing date to litigate on the same."
}