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{
    "id": 391997,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/391997/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 10,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Elachi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13115,
        "legal_name": "Beatrice Elachi",
        "slug": "beatrice-elachi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. This is a continuation of the Motion we had yesterday. Hon. Senators, it is the role of the Transition Authority (TA) to ensure that deployment of staff within the county governments and the national Government is done in accordance with the Constitution. The TA must make sure that employees who will opt to retire are paid their dues. Pension is a right of every employee. These are human beings who deserve to be treated in a humane manner. This is an issue of the livelihoods of Kenyans who have worked for us for many years. Yes, we are now in a new dispensation, but that does not mean that employees of the defunct local authorities be mistreated and denied their rights. The most important thing for us to bear in mind is that the structures were transited elsewhere. Therefore, it is time we dialogued together and came up with best solutions for the county governments and the national Government. We want services to be delivered to our people. Therefore, the governors, the TA and the national Government must sit together so that Kenyans do not blame devolution and see it as something that came to mess up their lives. We do not want to hear anybody saying devolution messed up his life. We, as the Senate, wish to see every Kenyan appreciate devolution as something that came to transform his life. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I know that we have many challenges in terms of creating employment in this country. As we think of where we will take the hundreds of thousands of workers who worked for the defunct 174 local authorities, we need to appreciate that as the staff are being deployed, some Ministries and departments were merged. How will we ensure that the mother ministry does not reject the same employee that was working for her at that time? These are some of the challenges that we will face in this new dispensation. I believe the TA is working on a framework which, hopefully, will absorb all the workers from the defunct local authorities. However, we should ensure that we vet the workers to ensure that those who mismanaged resources are taken to court and made to pay the monies that were meant to develop these counties. Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is important for the Senate to seriously follow up this issue with the counties. I believe every worker is asking the Senators: “What are you doing to ensure our payments and jobs are secured, based on labour laws, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights?” We must make sure that we take care of Kenyans based on the Constitution that we passed. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to support."
}