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{
    "id": 1425332,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1425332/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 269,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Orwoba",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "called the Whistleblower Protection Bill (National Assembly Bill No.56 of 2023), a copy- paste of my Bill. I am waiting for the National Assembly to tell me that the Bill I inherited, which originated from the Senate, I did not inherit from the National Assembly, but from a former Senator working on it in the Senate. I tabled it. The JLAC approved it because they were familiar with it. As I am waiting, Hon. Kasalu has inherited the Bill. Other Senators pride themselves in knowing the Standing Orders. I do not know much, but I know my Bill will not get concurrence in the National Assembly. However, Hon. Irene Kasalu will be allowed to proceed with the same Bill. As much as we do not like shouting about the mess that we have internally, either within the Senate or the National Assembly, you get to a point where the frustration of what you are dealing with, such as basic logistics of running your business in Parliament and new changes because of the Bunge Tower, become too much. The fights become too many such that by the time you want to fight for a legislative agenda, you ask yourself if it is worth it. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, my Bill on sanitary towels that I tabled and even officially launched on the Menstrual Hygiene Day on 27th May, 2023 was acknowledged by the Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary. It is a public document that I launched and have been waiting for it to be processed internally. There are a number of Bills waiting to be approved. That is seeking concurrence with the National Assembly. One of the Bills is mine and it seeks to provide free sanitary towels to all school-going children. Since May last year, I am still waiting to be told whether it affects counties and whether it is not a money Bill. I am still waiting for the National Assembly, which is slowing down a legislative proposal that is supposed to permanently cure period poverty. At the same time, the same women representatives are crying that they are not receiving sanitary towels. That is the irony of the things that we do here in Parliament. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I can go on and on about examples that are personal to me in terms of my Bills. They include the Konza Technopolis Bill and the Data Protection Bill. At this point, I feel that if not for anything, I can come back here as a consultant on legislative agenda because there is no office that I do not know in terms of pushing your legislative agenda. I have knocked on doors and camped on corridors waiting for whoever I need to wait for to ensure that our draft is moved from one point to another. However, it does not matter because even if I do all that within the Senate. Once we are done at the Senate, a National Assembly committee will sit and say the Bill does not affect counties. When a Senate Bill is taken to the National Assembly, they go through it thoroughly with whichever internal processes they have. They then tell us that they will reject or not give concurrence because the Bill does not affect counties. The fundamental question is: if a Bill does not affect counties, when it is passed into law, should counties take up the law?"
}