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    "id": 472527,
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    "content": "intentioned laws, is the transparency within which certain programmes have been rolled out. I hope that when the relevant Committee and even the Committee of the Whole look at this Bill, they will incorporate some of these amendments. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the role of financial institutions has also come under sharp focus during debate of this Bill. I have had the advantage of listening to some of the colleagues who have spoken and I want to support them that, yes, we know we have a very vibrant financial sector. Yes, the financial and Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) sectors are two sectors that have grown exponentially maybe in the last decade in our country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we must also realise that the growth in our financial sector has only helped a very small segment of our population to prosper. These are the shareholders in those banks and the customers who are able to interact with banks at the league level. What have been missing in our country are banks that empower the masses. We hope, therefore, through the operationalisation of this law, there will be a programme, either crafted under the provision that empowers the Cabinet Secretary, in consultation with industry players, to develop regulations or even a separate programme to make sure that Government owned banks such as Post Bank, or others which aim at empowering people at the grassroots level can offer tailor-made financial support and services to people with disabilities, women and young people, so that they benefit from this quota. It is one thing to say that the quota is available. It is another for that quota to transform the targeted groups at all levels. So, we hope that we will have this kind of programme, so that we do not just have a few elites in this group as the beneficiaries. This Bill says that every three months, every Government agency at the national level and county level must tell us how many tenders they have advertised for the supply of goods and services and how many of those have gone to the preferential groups. If they do not comply with the law, there must be some punitive measures so that one does not get cited for not meeting the threshold of the preference of the quota, but are also “punished” in a way. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the same breath, this Bill is talking about every quarter and is saying that the aggregation of those Bills must come to both Houses for scrutiny. This will unmask the secrecy that has been associated with the tendering process. We will also question whether the beneficiary companies are really companies that empower young people and women and persons with disabilities or whether they have been hijacked by the same elite or the same privileged group that has benefited from the milk and the cream of our country for so long. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, without much ado, I am very happy. I have listened, as much as possible to the very rich contributions that have been made to improve this Bill. I hope that by the time it goes to the Third Reading, it will be better. Let me end by saying that this is one of the Bills that makes me a proud Kenyan. 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."
}