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{
    "id": 1507133,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1507133/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 181,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "Parliament have sat down to listen to him. In their words, they think that the gentleman fits the bill. If he fits the bill, then we can go ahead and approve him. I have noted that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) did grant him clearance. We need to give effect to Chapter 6 of our Constitution. Apart from just EACC saying we have no case with Sen. Ledama Olekina or Sen. Eddy Oketch, I look forward to a time, when we will grant them actual power to either, on account of very strong findings that they have made, recommend either to Parliament, to the Judiciary, or even to the Executive, the department from holding public office of certain individuals. We need to go beyond this ritual of just seeking clarification because you have been nominated for a job and say, oh, this is what we have found out about you, that we have no case against such and such a gentleman. Nonetheless, this gentleman was approved. The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) also granted a tax compliance certificate. Also, the Higher Education Loan Board (HELB) has confirmed that he has cleared his help loan. I would not be shocked that the younger Members of this House, like Sen. Eddy, perhaps have not cleared their HELB loan. I do not know if he took it up, but I know that for a while, I must be honest about this, that even me, though it was only in my second term of parliament that I cleared my HELB loan, even though I could easily have written the first pay-cheque upon actually assuming office as a Senator it took me a while. I appreciate the fact that this forms part of what we seek from those who seek public office. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this conversation, on the university funding model cannot be complete without the conversation of how many citizens benefited but today, they do make a simple effort to pay. You may not have a job, but at least reduce on it occasionally when you have a windfall or you have done a project somewhere and you have been handsomely paid; sent the Kshs5,000 or Kshs10,000. It goes into growing this fund because, at the end of the day, this conversation about bands is just about money at the end of it. If we had a significant proportion of money at HELB, and they had a good amount of money at their disposal, then what would we need for band two to band five, we would put everybody in band one and pay for them. However, we have resources competing at the national level, where we have to fund various Government items, and then we only have to make do with what is available. Over and above what is available, we need those who have benefited from HELB to try and ensure that it is not only until they have been nominated or granted an opportunity to serve in an office, such as the gentleman who was being vetted here, that they quickly dash to clear their HELB loans. I am aware that many would have wished to pay, but they have not been able to secure jobs. More importantly, because we know, and you can see the hue and cry that is in the country amongst our college and university students on the need for HELB to be properly resourced so that they can continue to fund and make education a bit more affordable at the post-secondary level, then we have to pay. 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."
}