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{
    "id": 1489952,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1489952/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 97,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Osotsi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13588,
        "legal_name": "Osotsi Godfrey Otieno",
        "slug": "osotsi-godfrey-otieno"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, if there is any evidence that the National Assembly is the biggest threat to devolution in this country, this is one of them and something has to be done by us, Senators. We need to sit down, caucus and find out ways of stopping the National Assembly from being the real enemies of devolution in this country. If you reduce money that is supposed to go to counties in the Division of Revenue Bill from Kshs400 billion to Kshs380 billion yet you stay in that county, what will you be doing? Some of these Members of Parliament (MPs) want to become governors and Senators. How will they govern counties which have less money? Mr. Speaker, Sir, we have to call out the National Assembly. I am even informed that the Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs and Human Rights (JLAHR) of the National Assembly has come up with the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2024, where they are questioning the existence of two Houses of Parliament. They are questioning the existence of the Senate. That is very shameful. That Committee has serious Members that I respect, like Hon. Murugara, Hon. Otiende Amollo; respectable lawyers in this country. They must be told that you cannot remove the Senate by a mere committee in the National Assembly. You have to go to the referendum and seek the views of Kenyans on how to do it. It is clearly stipulated under Article 255 of the Constitution that any amendment touching on devolution has to go to the people via referendum. All these designs are being done after the court issued a ruling on National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF). I agree with the courts. The Members of Parliament have no business managing funds. They only have three functions; legislation, oversight and representation. They have no business moving around building schools using public money and telling people that it is their money. They have no business doing roads, they are not engineers, but legislators. I agree with the courts that CDF should be a devolved fund and should not be managed by Members of the National Assembly. Mr. Speaker, Sir, it saddens me that the CHPs do a wonderful job in our villages in moving around to look after the sick people at very minimal fee. This House passed money to the CHPs and then the MPs do not see what the CHPs are doing. They instead went ahead to cut down their money. That means that stipend paid to the CHPs will reduce. In my county, the stipend will reduce by Kshs9 million. That means each CHPs will earn Kshs500 less what he has been getting. I see MPs from my county all the time walking around with the CHPs, asking them to even do some tasks for them yet they come to this House and reduce the money supposed to go to the CHPs. Shame on them. They have gone ahead to reduce the money that is supposed to go to the Road Maintenance Levy Fund and Fuel Levy. This is unacceptable. They have gone ahead to remove all the money that counties are supposed to get from court fines. This is unacceptable. The industrial parks have not taken off in most counties. In my own county, they launched the industrial park at Luanda. Nothing has taken off in this industrial park apart 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."
}