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{
    "id": 1507072,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1507072/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 120,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wambua",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13199,
        "legal_name": "Enoch Kiio Wambua",
        "slug": "enoch-kiio-wambua"
    },
    "content": "I thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I would want to make a comment on the statement by Sen. Faki on the payment of the retirement dues for Aerotech retirees. I thank him for bringing this statement because it brings to the fore a number of issues that have been pending before this House and the other House of Parliament on the matter of the management of pension schemes and payment of retirement benefits to people who have already served their terms. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I remind this House that we have a serious matter pending on the issue of the retirement benefits for former councillors. When this debate started some years back, the Government then agreed to pay these former councillors a one-off honorarium and include them in the coverage of National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), which has now shifted to Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) and Social Health Authority (SHA). However, since that promise was made by the Government many years ago, nothing has happened. We are faced with a situation where the number of former councillors is reducing by the day. We are losing these people on a daily basis. When we started, we were talking about 12,000 of them. Now, we are talking about less than 10,000. These former leaders and their families are living in squalor. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, at the time they were serving, they did not have any kitty from anyone to develop their areas. They used their own resources to develop their own areas. We have abandoned and forgotten about them. I urge this House to remember the fate and the plight of former councillors. Secondly, one of the reasons why I was coming to this House today is that I had a conversation with Sen. Roba and Sen. Cheruiyot last week. I thought that we were going to be introducing the CARA for debate and processing today. Truth be told, one of the reasons why we passed DORA early last week is because we wanted to deal with these other instruments to allow our counties to access funds, including CARA and the Disbursement Schedules. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, going into the end of the week, people will start disappearing because EALA games are coming. Can we fast track at least those two instruments; CARA and the Disbursement Schedules, so that our counties can access the money and develop our regions? I thank you. 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."
}