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{
    "id": 1494826,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1494826/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 59,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wakili Sigei",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. This House has a very high status under the Constitution, and summoning the Cabinet Secretaries to respond to Questions by Hon. Members is an important role. As we have previously stated in this House, the Cabinet Secretaries, who are required to appear at any given time, have appropriate notice. The Questions they are supposed to come and answer are already available to them in good time. For the Cabinet Secretaries not to appear this morning, some of them with very flimsy reasons, is an utter disrespect of the House. Being one of the Members of the House who has come in this morning to ask questions regarding not only the interests of the people whom I, in particular, represent but the entire country, it is unfortunate that we do not have them appearing in the House. At the risk of creating an extension of the lamentations that you previously heard, I have looked at the two letters from the two Cabinet Secretaries. One letter has been received from the Cabinet Secretary for Health after the House has started. She has explained that she is indisposed. From the previous resolutions of this House, this does not stand as the reason a Cabinet Secretary is unable to appear before the House. Number two, we did not receive this letter yesterday at the Senate Business Committee. The Standing Orders of this House, which apply to all who are required to appear, require them to submit any excuse or letter in good time to justify their non-appearance. This shows utter disrespect to the House for the Cabinet Secretary to write and say she is merely indisposed. I would want to agree with the Hon. Senator Chute and the rest of my colleagues who have said that it is high time we censure these Cabinet Secretaries who have shown disrespect to the House. We have a right to discuss their conduct and censure them. If they are unable to appear before the House, and for no reason at all that is justifiable, then they have no business being holders of such high offices. The other reason we should call them out is a letter received yesterday, which the Senate Business Committee (SBC) rejected. The Cabinet Secretary said in the letter that they were to attend a prior scheduled Ministerial event on black rhino ear notching and fitting of monitoring devices today. A Cabinet Secretary can delegate this to a person of the lowest rank in that particular Ministry. It cannot be a reason for a Cabinet Secretary to abandon a responsibility to appear before the House to fit in monitoring devices to a rhino in the national park. This is the sort of behaviour that we have said before: the moment these people get into office, they forget that they are holding such offices fin the interest of the Kenyans. The best interest of Kenyans can only be served by appearing before this House to answer questions of national importance that represent the people who the Senators represent in this particular House. This particular letter was rejected, and the Cabinet Secretary was asked to appear. We have not received a response to the letter that indicated to him or her that we are not buying the excuse. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only.A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and Audio Services,Senate."
}