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{
    "id": 393491,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/393491/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 179,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Abdirahman",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 161,
        "legal_name": "Abdirahman Ali Hassan",
        "slug": "abdirahman-ali-hassan"
    },
    "content": "level in terms of representation. I was elated when I heard my brother, Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki, say that they will use numbers to actually support the plea of the Members of the County Assembly (MCAs). We may not necessarily require big numbers; but we require a little tact, diplomacy and probably, goodwill from those who are at the helm of power. Mr. Speaker, Sir, these independent Commissions, as much as they are independent, must be responsive to the plight of the people they are expected to serve. During my last visit to Wajir, I had a chance to talk to the MCAs on a range of issues, and the one that came at the top was actually their salaries. I do not think the brushing off of the MCAs will help this country. As mentioned by a number of colleague Senators who spoke before me, the MCAs are actually at the heart of development at the lower levels. These are not the ordinary councilors we used to have in the early days when we served in Parliament; these are people who represent a number of wards that were, in fact, merged. In places like yours and where I come from in particular, we have vast distances which these people have to cover. Paying a gross salary of Kshs79, 000 to MCAs is peanuts, as mentioned by a number of speakers. These are people who have to go round and talk to communities. These are people who have to oversight the budgets at the county level; and, these are people who have to help in planning for the necessary development we need at the lower levels. I do not think brushing them off just like what the Sarah Serem led Commission did and what we see on television is a sign of being responsive. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I do not think this Commission has taken into account the various office holders as brought in by our new Constitution, even the Senate. I remember listening to her during our induction workshop in Naivasha a few months ago, and she admitted that she did not know what the Senate job entailed; she accepted it and this is not a secret. She said these are jobs for which they had not done any job evaluation. If the Senate did not exist then, how would she know what the Senator’s job entailed? Even the MCAs did not exist. We have failed to actually do evaluation of the various tasks or functions of the various office holders as explained or as rightly put in our Constitution. I think that instead of just saying a big “no” all the time on television, the Sarah Serem-led Commission must go to the ground, listen to the people and the various stakeholders and allow them to give their input. It is critical that she accommodates the views of the people who are affected, including the MCAs. Mr. Speaker, Sir, MCAs have, time and again not been able to carry out their functions demanding that their plea is heard, and I think this is hurting our county assemblies. Work will not move as expected. Why do we want to hurt the common man that we are supposed to be serving on an item that can easily be sorted out? Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki has assured us that the Jubilee Government is going to do something. Can they do it tomorrow?"
}