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{
    "id": 1425319,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1425319/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 256,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Osotsi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13588,
        "legal_name": "Osotsi Godfrey Otieno",
        "slug": "osotsi-godfrey-otieno"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for this opportunity. I am surprised as to why we are debating this Bill because it is unconstitutional in almost every clause that I have gone through. Secondly, in the tradition of bicameral Parliament, bicameralism is managed without a specific legislation. It is the norms, traditions and Standing Orders. For one to decide to come up with a piece of legislation to manage the relationship between the two Houses, I think it is in itself a new standard that the owner of this Bill is trying to come up with. Mr Temporary Speaker, Sir, probably one of the reasons the owner is trying to come up with this Bill is because of the power struggles that the two Houses have had in the past. You remember Petition No.284 of 2019 which led to the High Court nullifying a record of 23 pieces of legislation, including the Tax Laws Amendments Act, which the court declared a nullity. When you read through this Bill, you will see an attempt to try and patch up things, so that we do not have an opportunity of going to court when we feel that there has been some form of discrimination or unfairness on the part of the Senate. I look at this Bill from that precinct. We are in a bicameral Parliament. Maybe we need to reflect as a House whether we are truly in a bicameral Parliament or something in between. Bicameralism has to have an Upper House. That is the case in other jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom (UK), USA, France and even here in Africa, a country such Nigeria in West Africa. Bicameralism must have a House that is reasonable and small that looks at issues with expert scrutiny and provides further democratic check on the Lower House. That is bicameralism. In this country, we basically have two Houses where one pretends to be an Upper House, when it is supposed to be a Lower House. We must have a relook at the way bicameralism is structured in this country."
}