Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 338539,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/338539/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 444,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "December, 11 2012 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 38 Mrs. Odhiambo-Mabona",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. When I was contributing to the Agriculture, Livestock, Food and Fisheries Authority Bill, I had reservations. My reservation is that I thought that the Bill was encroaching on unconstitutionality. It was approaching unconstitutionality. The reason I say that is that if you look at the provisions in terms of the mandates that are given to the respective governments--- The provisions on Agriculture, Livestock, Food and Fisheries Authority in this Bill in relation to the national Government actually touch on the mandate of the county governments. Therefore, if the Bill passes as it is, it will actually water down devolution, and make nonsense of it. As a result, county governments will be lame ducks from the beginning. It is not only these Bills; I have actually raised this issue in relation to other Bills that are coming here; that is one of the reasons I am very hesitant that we proceed when have a very small number of hon. Members in the House; we are raising very critical issues. They do not look critical, but next year when you will have Governors and Senators sitting you will find that we will have set governments against the Government. This will be because we are raising issues that should actually ideally be raised between two Houses. However, I had actually suggested that one of the ways we could deal with it, if we still want to proceed, is to sit down with the Minister and iron out some of the issues; there are major issues that need to be ironed out; we can still bring amendments and pass the Bill. Many of us are very diligent and do our work very well, but we cannot cope with the speed of these Bills. Look at the number of Bills; I said it last week and I will say it today, we are not only moving amendments. If you are moving amendments, you take them to the Legal Department to look at them and you also have another life. We are having campaigns. It is impossible. Some of us are extremely hard working. We do not only come here for one or two Bills. We sit here through all the Bills that come before this House and it is difficult to catch up with the speed at which we are moving."
}