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"content": "want to hear the various parties in Makueni. It will require the Committee on Devolved Government and, perhaps, other offices or officials within the Senate to do whatever it can to make sure that through our Committees and the good offices of the Senate of the Republic of Kenya, especially with regard to Makueni and Isiolo, an urgent solution is found in the next two weeks. That urgent solution will not be found by us sitting in Nairobi and listening to people. It may be found, perhaps, in physical sitting if the Committee deems it fit, in those places, to even talk to residents who cannot travel to Nairobi and find out when the rain started beating us. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, these are just highlights of two counties that are facing grave challenges that have even led to violence in some cases. Even in the other case of Isiolo, there was limited violence in the Chamber, but right now because of the protracted nature of this tussle, the security situation and relationship among many players, parties and clans within Isiolo, portends a grave danger, even for the existence of that county government and the peace and stability of that county. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I hope that through the intervention that will be put in place and the recommendation, we will look at the devolution architecture generally. We would want to see recommendations that help us intervene, not only in these two counties, but also in various other counties where chaos have broken out in one way or the other. We have the unending issue in Embu County. We also have cases where county assemblies have held some governors hostage. The only way such a county is functioning is because the governor continues to make the assembly or parts of the assembly happy. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, there is also the reverse in other counties where everyday an executive or some functionary is impeached. What has happened because of lack of time for the Senate to look at this issue comprehensively is that now the courts have become the supervisors of devolution. This poses grave danger. It is high time that this Senate took this very short recess to come up with a strategy of pre-empting situations like we are having in Makueni and Isiolo counties and come with recommendations that are generic, that can help us identify early warning signs of trouble, early intervention and action so that our devolved units function and services are rendered to the people of Kenya. We yearn to see our counties and county governments functioning. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, without much ado, I know within today’s business there is a substantive Motion on the situation in Isiolo County. I will speak less about that. This Motion does not affect the business for today. So, it is to request that the Senate adjourns by the end of today’s business to give that window for that work to be done and look at this issue in a more holistic and generic manner. As I have said, during the last sittings, we ate into our recess by one week to deal with the issues of Machakos County and the County Allocation of Revenue Act. These rearrangements in the calendar are normal and dictated by factors that emerge and those which are not anticipated. If need be, when we resume, we may need to push our calendar forward to be able to accommodate whatever agenda needs to be accommodated before Christmas. I am sure this Senate will exercise its discretion, flexibility and make sure that we deliver all we have to balance the functions that we can discharge in this Chamber vis-à-vis other functions that require the full and undivided attention of the Senate, as a whole, or some of the committees of the Senate."
}