Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 472195,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/472195/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 170,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": "(Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki): Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, The Public Procurement and Disposal (Amendment) Bill) (National Assembly Bill No.31 of 2013) is a Bill that is aimed at guaranteeing, for the first time in the history of our country, access to opportunities for young people, women and persons with disability to do business in terms of the supply of goods and services with the Government at national and county levels. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for a long time, the opportunities to do business with the Government have been available mainly to men; not just men, but to rich men, and most rich men have been old. So, what this Bill is trying to do, number one, is to say that even among the male gender, young people – that is persons aged between 18 and 35 – have not been able to access Government tenders for the supply of goods and services simply because of a rigorous public procurement and disposal legal regime. So, other than men, there are also the women who have also been disadvantaged for many years as well as persons living with disabilities. These three groups are categorized in this Bill as disadvantaged groups. These are groups which have been disadvantaged historically in terms of access to procurement opportunities. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am aware that a key plank of the manifesto of the Jubilee Government was actually to improve access to procurement to young people and persons living with disabilities. I am equally aware that even within the Opposition, this is something that they also support. Therefore, I expect that this is something that should be a bipartisan Bill that is supported by both sides of the House. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this Bill is giving effect to a number of constitutional imperatives or requirements. The first one is Article 27(6) of the Constitution which provides for non-discrimination among other things or among other grounds on the basis of gender. There is also Article 55 of the Constitution which requires the Government to The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}