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{
    "id": 1551115,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1551115/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 437,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Suna East, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Junet Mohamed",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Look at what they have done to this Bill. Hon. Chepkonga and company brought a Bill on bicameral relations to help in the smooth running of the business of Parliament. What have they done? Because they thought they were going to get a favourable judgment from the Supreme Court, they amended the whole thing in a manner that it becomes useless. I am very happy today because in my lifetime, before I leave this House, we know the functions of the National Assembly and the functions of the Senate. I want to read out verbatim what the Supreme Court: ‘The exclusion of the Senate from participating in the enactment of money Bills is not an anomaly but deliberate as it aligns with established legislative practices in other asymmetrical bicameral systems.’ That is the Supreme Court talking, not me. It has recognised the critical role of financial legislation in ensuring the smooth functioning of the State and the effective delivery of public services. Many constitutions prescribe specific legislative procedures for money Bills. These provisions are designed to avoid conflicts between the chambers of the bicameral Parliament and to prevent prolonged deadlocks over financial matters that could hinder governance and economic stability. What the Senate was trying to do was to hinder economic stability in this country by usurping the power of the National Assembly. In the last 10 years, what the Senate has been trying to do is what I would describe as a power grab. They wanted to grab the powers of the National Assembly. The power of the purse is with the National Assembly. I would have gone further to recommend that the Division of Revenue Bill does not need to go to the Senate. It is a money Bill by all intents and purposes. The National Assembly has been given powers by the Constitution to initiate all Bills, including money Bills and Bills concerning counties. Our brothers in the Senate cannot initiate money Bills anymore. They can only initiate Bills that concern counties. We can initiate Bills that concern counties and money Bills. We can originate Bills on taxation, appropriation and budgetary matters. All that belongs to the National Assembly. We are going to perform our duties professionally and diligently for the good of the country. We got to an extent where the Senate described us as the lower House. The Constitution prescribes our functions and it makes this House the upper House. When you do not have the power of the purse, how can you call yourself the upper House? In my view, to reduce the wage bill of the country, the Senate should meet quarterly to look at county issues. Four sittings in a year is enough for the Senate. You can sit three times every week, but there is no business to conduct. That then forces you to infringe on other people’s constitutional functions. Why can they not just sit once in three months to look into issues affecting the counties, audit their books, then go home and rest? Four times in a year is good enough for the Senate to sit. I am not saying that in a derogatory manner. I really mean it. That is how we will reduce our wage bill as a country. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}