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{
    "id": 1499774,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1499774/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 231,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "attention and applause. There is also the real world in the villages where we come from, where people tell us different things. As a legislator, sometimes it is difficult to know which world to react to because of the kind of instructions and the things that I see being said in the online space. I want to believe that the reason Sen. Mungatana spoke the way he did about this particular Bill, perhaps is a brief that he has from the people he represented in this House. These are men and women from Tana River who voted for him. They are saying, Senator, this is what we expect. However, I am sure you are also bombarded by messages and X conversations of people telling you, “stop this. We do not want it to exist.” Our work, as legislators, is increasingly becoming difficult. If you are not careful as a legislator and I warned my colleagues sometimes back here, you can easily chase air in the names of TikTok likes and followership online and miss the real conversation that happens back in the villages. At the end of the day, a legislator is a representative of the people. You must find ways in which you capture the views of the people on whose behalf you vote in this House, and they include those that are in the online space and those that are offline. I have listened to the comments of colleagues about this Bill which are very interesting. Some propose a total rejection. Others such as Sen. Olekina propose that do not just ban harambees, but also look into charitable organizations that run activities in the country to ensure that they do this in strict compliance with our laws. He says in the contributions ensure that they receive from donors abroad, the same is shared for the intended purpose of those who are making those donations. There are those who agree that we need to stop public and state officers from participating in fundraisers for the sole reason that it is one of the avenues through which we can demonetize our politics and reduce the influence of money in our politics. Like the good Bible says, the love of money is the root to evil. Many times, when money is not prudently used, it can be used for bad things in our society. I will propose that in such a time as this where you have a report of the Bill, you have Members who have a divided opinion before eventually putting this to a vote; it would be good to consult further and listen to whether there is a way that the Bill can be enriched, or do we lose the overall intention? Some have taken issue, for example, with the fact that we are proposing committees through which you do not per se regulate, but a reporting mechanism where the County Executive Committee Members (CECMs) in our counties and the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economic Planning can receive reports of some of these public fundraisings appeals. This is important and I would not wish that we lose that even in this conversation. How many times have you been invited to a fundraising where months later, if you try to go and check whether that money was used for the intended purpose, you cannot establish whether that happened or not? Maybe the mechanism that has been proposed needs to be refined. It is at this time that many people are beginning to speak on this topic and asking for more time to make their contribution. 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."
}