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{
    "id": 1499785,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1499785/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 242,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": "This is an important Bill. I appreciate what the Senate has done in the last few weeks, especially with regards to our brothers and sisters who serve in our constituent assemblies in the counties. Remember that we have already passed legislation in this House that grants financial autonomy to our county assemblies. That Bill is presently on its way to the National Assembly for consideration. One of the biggest requests that the county assemblies have made to this House as an elder brother in the devolution family is to ensure that we grant them the freedom with which they do their responsibilities. The second and most important thing is that the Bill is looking into the welfare of MCAs. At the beginning of this term, there is a conversation we had about the salaries of MCAs. The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) drastically reduced remuneration for MCAs and put it at a figure that shocked the country, especially those that know what officers in public service like elected officials, have to go through. It left many of our county assemblies in very difficult financial situations. I do not know whether that has contributed to the many wrangles that we continue to see between our county assemblies with the executive. In fact, in my three terms of being a Senator, I have never seen a time where there is extreme wrangles between county assemblies and the executive as this time. There are many reasons for that. I do not want to speculate. However, I highly suspect that the fact that the welfare of the MCAs has not been sufficiently addressed since the onset of devolution has a thing to do with it. The MCAs look at those that serve in the first term. If you find that your predecessor, who served before you when salaries were better and there was consistent flow of money to our county governments, but ever since they left office, they are living in abject poverty, chances are that during your time of service, you will also be plodding. Every politician lives with the practical reality of knowing that one day they will be no longer in service. It may be in the next election or the subsequent one, but one day, they will cease holding the power and the influence of public office. Therefore, they need to be assured of their future, especially knowing the fact that in this country, once you have served as an elected official, it is extremely difficult to secure employment elsewhere. Very few people will trust you. If you appear before an interview panel and you say that you were a Member of Parliament previously, chances are high that they will reject your request for employment. This passes and holds for the Member of County Assembly (MCA). Therefore, it is not a waste of valuable legislative time to process this Bill with regard to the pension of our MCAs. The principle object of this Bill is to establish the county assembly's pension scheme, which is for all MCAs, to provide for the establishment of the scheme's board of trustees, and to provide for the scheme's management and administration. The Bill proposes that the scheme offer lump sum payments as provident, periodic payments as pension, and income drawdowns. The proposed scheme will transition all MCAs into one universal scheme for all 47 county governments. It will also be open to other public officers and any other person who this particular board may approve. 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."
}