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{
    "id": 1442937,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1442937/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 133,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sifuna",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13599,
        "legal_name": "Sifuna Edwin Watenya",
        "slug": "sifuna-edwin-watenya"
    },
    "content": "When you go to the TSC, they tell you that there is a system where everybody is logged in and there is a criteria used, and that they will eventually reach to you. However, you can see people dishing out letters from the TSC, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the National Youth Service (NYS) in harambees and funerals. This includes Kenya National Police. These are the things that we need to work on as a leadership so that we stop all this anger that you see. Let me go to another thing. An angry people cannot be reasoned with. Right now, people are very angry. This is why I am trying to explain to this House that we are not going to be prescriptive in how we deal with this issue. We are hoping that we can demonstrate to the country that, at least, there is a place where a conversation can be heard. The Senate is the only House of Parliament that goes to the people. We do not fear the people. That is why we are still here. If it is possible for us to go to Uhuru Park as somebody has suggested, we are ready to be insulted because at some point, we deserve to be insulted. However, at the very end of those insults, we will be able to pick some few things. The Senate Majority Leader was telling us a story of how he logged into one of the Twitter spaces. He said there was maybe 60 per cent of expletives and insults. However, 40 per cent was good material, which has inspired the speech that he made this morning. So, let us put ourselves at the disposal of the people. We should be available to the people so that we deal with this. On debt, I agree with the Senate Majority Leader that there has to be a public audit of all Kenya's debts so that we know the truth about this. Concerning budget, we have explained and I have given an example here of how we feel, that sometimes our budgeting process is padded in such a way that it allows for budgeted corruption. Those of us on the Minority side have estimated that we can do away with at least Kshs1 trillion in this budget. We do not need to punish anyone. We just need to cut on expenditure in our own institutions. I will go to some of the proposals that I have received from members of the public. First, there needs to be an audit of all appointments from 13th September, 2023. As Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale said, there are some offices which have been created that we do not even understand the basis of their existence. For example, look at the number of advisors in Government. There needs to be a public audit of all these advisors. We need to tell Kenyans why it is okay for one office of the advisor on economic matters to have more money for travel than nine committees in this House combined. It does not make any sense. There is also the spectra of personal assistants in Government; we need a public audit of that. There was another office that was created - on this one you will forgive me, Senate Majority Leader - of faith intercessors. We need a public audit of who are these people and why are they earning public money. I had the occasion to see a business card of one of those faith intercessors; it was the most powerful business card I have ever seen in my life. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, you have spoken about the office of the First Lady. I am happy that the President himself took an initial step to say that that office will cease existing from Monday this week. It had 285 employees. 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."
}