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{
    "id": 1451259,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1451259/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 106,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Olekina",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 407,
        "legal_name": "Ledama Olekina",
        "slug": "ledama-olekina"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, that is creating jobs for people, for private companies. It is just like we saw the hurdles in the Social Health Fund Bill, where one section was put there to channel all administrative services of health in this country to a private company. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I want us to be very careful when it comes to dealing with matters that affect county governments. We are in this House to protect county governments. When we now invite the national Government, we must be very careful and ask ourselves very serious questions. I know there was a Bill that we passed here, and it is now law in terms of own- source revenue pertaining to health facilities that has brought in a conflict between the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) Finance and the CECM, Health. The PFM Act is quite clear that the Head of Treasury in county government is the CECM for Finance. The new piece of legislation that we passed in this House, essentially allowed county governments to spend their hospital funds, locally, without having to swipe the money to the county revenue fund and so, brings in a conflict between the two departments. Now we have the Fire and Rescue Services Professionals Bill, 2023, that is sponsored by my dear brother, yet, Part 2(12) of the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution delegates firefighting services and disaster management to county governments. We need to ask ourselves two straightforward questions. Do we want to provide fire services and disaster management regulations to county governments, or do we want each county, based on its own environment, to develop its own legislation on how they are going to manage fire services and disasters, just like the framers of the Constitution had in mind? I am not happy with Bills that create boards. You create a board and thereafter, people are appointed and they need money, yet we are here saying that we do not have money. You go ahead and say that there will be a chairperson who shall be appointed by the Cabinet Secretary. I heard my brother, Sen. Mungatana, asking whether we have a Cabinet Secretary in charge of fire. I do not know whether this is the kind of Bill we should propose and pass in this House. We must be critical on any piece of legislation. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I am going to be very candid to my brother because I want to support him on this Bill. I am a little bit handicapped because if you read the Statement of Objects and Reasons for the Bill, Part IV is about financial provisions. It sets out a Fund of the Board, preparations of annual estimates and keeping of books of accounts and audit. Who is going to fund this Board? That is my biggest question. When you come to the last statement which every Bill must have, especially Bills that originate from the Senate, it is about whether this Bill relates to Article 114 of the 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."
}