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{
    "id": 474054,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/474054/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 269,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Kshs500,000 for the bridge.” Where would that end? We must educate this nation. Kenyans are not foolish people. Kenyans understand the role of a Senator. I have been at pains to explain to people that when they notice that a bridge needs to be done, they should not think that is the role of the Senator. The role of the Senator is to go to the Senate and to acquire funding which is then given to the Governor and his team to build bridges and to put murram on the roads. Kenyans understand that it is not necessary for us to act out of desperation and to go on cheating wananchi . That is exactly what this would be. We would be cheating these people by telling them that we are building bridges for them. True, enough, it could have an impact as far as a few votes are concerned. However, by and large, we have a large group of people who are educated. Kenyans are no longer a bunch of illiterate people. They know who is supposed to do what. What we should be asking for is amounts of money that can be used to conduct civic education in the counties so that in future, Senators will not ask for money to go and build cattle dips. That is not our responsibility. How will we oversight the Government if we are part of the people who are building bridges? Whose responsibility is it to build bridges? Who is responsible for constructing short murram roads that lead to cattle dips? Is it the MCA, the MP, the Governor or the Senator? At what point do wananchi decide who is responsible for what? All we are doing is confusing people. I urge all of us in the legislature to desist from this practice of trying to assume that the only way you can get elected by people is if you cheat them that you are the one who has built cattle dips or constructed murram roads. Kenyans know very well that you will never build murram roads with your money. Money will only come from the taxpayer and from the Governor who will have received it from the Senator. This is what we must emphasise. I am very happy about MCAs who are now going round educating people to that effect. They have been telling people that once they see the bridges being built, roads being constructed and classrooms being built, it is because the Senators are at work, they have negotiated for money in the Senate and have brought money down. This is the key. The key is for us to go there, sit with MCAs, ward representatives and communicate with church people who preach every Sunday and to tell them what people should be told. There is a Ministry of Devolution and Planning that is supposed to be conducting civic education. This is where we should be. They are the people we should be talking to and telling them that every county should have a certain amount of money to carry out civic education. That is what will save the Senate, not just now but in the future. As I finish, it is very important to engage the youth in this exercise. If we do not engage the youth, we will fail. I can see that my time has run out but I beg the next speaker to address that issue."
}