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{
    "id": 1502633,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1502633/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 65,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sifuna",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13599,
        "legal_name": "Sifuna Edwin Watenya",
        "slug": "sifuna-edwin-watenya"
    },
    "content": "During the mediation, Members of the National Assembly gave us, as a Senate, an assignment to take a message to the CoG. That if it were possible for them to sit down, have a discussion and try to mediate that issue out of the courts, it would be helpful to the common mwananchi . I want to report to the Members of this House and the Members of the National Assembly need to know, that we did take that message to the Chairperson of the Committee on Roads and Transportation of the CoG. Nonetheless, he was very skeptical. I have to say this, because he has said that this is not the first time this question of the RMLF was taken to courts. The last time there was a conversation to withdraw the matter or to solve it amicably, it did not go very well. Consequently, at least to the Members of the National Assembly who sent us and who gave me that assignment to deliver the message, as a messenger, I have done my part. I have also given you the feedback that we received from the CoG. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, allow me to also say that in the course of those proceedings, we in the Senate raised very serious objections about the separation of powers between the three Arms of Government. We want to continue to urge Members of Parliament (MPs) especially, to remember that the law-making process and the budget- making process is a constitutional responsibility of Parliament. We must never appear to cede that responsibility to any other Arm of Government and especially not to the Executive. You will know that whenever we are handling a matter in this House, even the Judiciary itself has taken a position of waiting for the process in this House to conclude before they can intervene. When a matter is before the Judiciary, we in Parliament as well do not touch it because of the sub judice rule in our own Standing Orders. Therefore, it was quite disheartening to hear pronouncements being made in the course of the mediation by Members of the Executive about this mediation and the figures that were viable or not viable. I want Members of Parliament to remember that we swore an oath to defend the Constitution. It is the Constitution that gives us, as Parliament, power to make legislation and the budget of this country. We should not essentially be one with the Executive. In fact, sometimes I feel terrible for the leadership of the Executive because they are supposed to get ideas from Parliament and to be guided as well. Otherwise, if we are a House that only waits for the President to say we go left and we go left, we go right and we go right and if today he says this House is bad, we all clap and if he says we are now good boys we all stand up and clap--- It is not supposed to be like that. We are doing a disservice to the Head of State and I want to encourage him. I think now the Head of State ---"
}