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{
"id": 1561692,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1561692/?format=api",
"text_counter": 480,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Ruaraka, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. TJ Kajwang’",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Hon. Kangogo cannot pretend to know more of the Standing Orders than I. I did not have the Order Paper in my hands. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion: THAT, notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 127(5) and taking into consideration the request from the Senate for withdrawal of the Public Transport (Motorcycle Regulation) Bill, (Senate Bill No.38 of 2023), this House resolves to discharge the Public Transport (Motorcycle Regulation) Bill (Senate Bill No.38 of 2023) from Second Reading. The gist of this Motion is simply to create a legal infrastructure on how we conduct business in both Houses. A Bill emanating from the Senate, having been processed, considered, and passed, is referred to this House for reciprocal consideration. Once it lands in this House, it ceases to be the property of the Senate and becomes the property of this House. Its processing and handling remain the province of this House under the relevant Standing Orders. During the processing of this Bill, something new in our jurisprudence happened. Hon. Bonny Khalwale, the Whip of the Majority Party in that House, proposed the Bill as an individual Member's Bill. When the Bill landed in this House, he sought, by way of a letter, to withdraw it. Faced with that circumstance, the Speaker, mindful of the mutual relationship between the two Houses, issued a communication which was read the other day. The Speaker expressed sympathy for the Member, but clarified that a Member of the Senate cannot withdraw a Bill that is before this House. In the best interest and on the best advice of the Speaker, we now have a Motion before us, so that this House may express itself one way or the other. We do not have Standing Orders that allow a Senator who has already processed a Bill to withdraw it once it is before us. That can only be done through the action of the Leader of the Majority Party. Everybody agrees that we need to structure and regulate the bodaboda business, because it is a big problem— a time bomb in our hands. I was in Doha last week and I did not see a single bodaboda on the streets. Not even one, except for service providers such as e- hailing platforms and others that help the society function. However, in India, bodabodas are all over the streets. In fact, the traffic officer has a whistle and uses a line to control the two- wheelers. That is what is happening here in Kenya, and it is also occurring across almost all jurisdictions in East Africa. You go to Kampala in Uganda, our neighbour, and you see all those bodabodas . The 9th Floor of Kenyatta National Hospital is a ward that is filled with cases of broken bones caused by motorcycles. As you drive along our roads, it is more dangerous on your left-hand side than on your right-hand side because a motorcycle can appear suddenly from the left before you even realise it. Everybody understands that we need to regulate that sub-sector. However, on the flip side, it is a source of income for our young people. It is a source of employment. They get revenue and hard-earned living through that sub-sector. That is not disputed. However, it is high time there was a law that comprehensively addresses this issue. The Traffic Act does very little to control the bodaboda sub-sector. We agree that we need legislation. We support the fact that there is legislation before us. However, even if the legislation is before us, can it be processed in a proper manner? 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."
}