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{
    "id": 384676,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/384676/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 57,
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    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "role of the National Assembly, in my view, the decision by the National Assembly to forward the Bill to His Excellency the President without going through the due process was, not only ill advised, but it was also contemptuous of this House and also unconstitutional. In that regard, I join you and, in fact, many other institutions, including the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC) and the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA), that His Excellency the President should heed your call and letter to him, and those of the other constitutional institutions, and reject and return that Bill to the National Assembly without delay. If the President accepts to go ahead and sign that Bill, it will amount to unconstitutionality. We all know that if there are grounds for unconstitutionality, it means grounds for taking action. The Executive and the National Assembly were blamed in the 1960s for the collapse of devolution. We are now seeing a situation where the National Assembly and the Executive are subverting the Constitution by working together to try and kill devolution. We want to caution this country that we fought so hard to get this Constitution in place. We want nothing less than respect for the Constitution and the institutions that have been set up by this Constitution. The Senate is a very important institution that was set up by this Constitution. The Constitution is very clear. If, indeed, we do not have a role on Bills concerning counties, as you ruled earlier, then, with all due respect, there will be no role for this House at all. We want His Excellency the President to take advantage of the goodwill that he enjoys in this country today and not to squander this opportunity. We appeal to him to take on board the trust and confidence the people of Kenya have given him when he took the oath of office on the Constitution of this country, that he will protect it. This matter is about implementation of that same Constitution. We want to urge him to walk the talk on his pledge to implement the Constitution. If he does not do that then, indeed, he will be party to the attempts by the National Assembly to, not only subvert the Constitution, but, in fact, to kill the institutions that are essential to devolution. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir."
}