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{
    "id": 1552557,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1552557/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 534,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cherarkey",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13217,
        "legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
        "slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
    },
    "content": "should stop. I want to advise the National Assembly Minority Leader that there are much more important things to do for Kenyans than fighting the Senate or demanding that the Senate be scrapped off. We are not complaining. He stated that there is no work in the Senate, but we have a lot of work. Defending and protecting interests of the counties is not easy. It is a lot of work. Therefore, they should stop underestimating us and serve Kenyans. The National Assembly oversights the national Government. They should do their job. We have so many projects by the national Government that Members of the National Assembly should oversight. There is also the issue of the National Government- Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) that they should focus on. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am happy that you have outgrown that “Lower House,” and now you are one of the senior members of this country. On a light note, most senior people in the Government are former Senators. So, the nation takes Senators seriously, including you. Your friend, now the Deputy President, Hon. (Prof.) Kithure Kindiki, and many Cabinet Secretaries were Members of this House, although a few of them are underperforming. I agree with my colleagues that we need proper security in Meru. I know there have been cases of insecurity. We support that security should be taken seriously. We should ensure that the people of Meru enjoy peace and security in that region. Moving to this Petition by Mr. Omusundi, I want to commend him for that. While I do not have a problem that this Petition landed to the Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights, with a lot of tremendous respect, the recommendations look pedestrian. I deal with numbers and they say that numbers do not lie. There is a song by Shakira. She sang one of the best songs during a previous World Cup. “Hips don’t lie” . Numbers do not lie. Can you believe that out of Kshs562.5 billion for 36 counties, we have Kshs25.423 billion since 2013 as pending bills for legal services by law firms in this country? That amount is not a true reflection. We have been asking that question several times. In the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) where I have served for some time, when governors appear before us, they cannot give us--- Even the Auditor-General has tried to do audits of pending bills in the counties in terms of court cases. They cannot tell you the number of court cases that they have. When you ask counties how many cases have been filed for that amount to be that huge, they cannot tell you. Can you believe that some counties have not even hired county attorneys? Under the Office of the County Attorney Act, 2020, it is clear that person should have experience of five years or be an advocate of the High Court, and has the same status as a County Executive Committee Member (CECM). We believe that when a county attorney is part of the county cabinet, they can assist in providing legal advice during meetings. Can you believe that since the Act was assented to by the President, some counties are yet to hire county attorneys? I am happy because of what is happening in Kilifi. They have a serious retinue of lawyers who work day and night. I want to challenge governors. Nandi is also on the list of shame. Funnily, the Governor of Nandi is a lawyer, yet he has been outsourcing legal services. 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."
}