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{
    "id": 517221,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/517221/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 241,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Kanainza",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13113,
        "legal_name": "Daisy Nyongesa Kanainza",
        "slug": "daisy-nyongesa-kanainza"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for giving this opportunity to also add my voice to this Bill. I will start by appreciating the Committee. I am a Member of this Committee that is chaired by Prof. Anyang’-Nyong’o and deputized by Sen. Joy Gwendo. It has taken sometime for us to come up with this Bill which is in the Second Reading. Harambees have been very useful in this country. Many people have been educated even overseas through harambees. Also through harambees we have helped our communities whenever they face challenges, especially with regard to paying hospital bills and meeting funeral expenses and other celebrations. We have depended on harambees to build schools, which should actually be a function of the Government. Unfortunately, harambees have been misused and some people have taken advantage of it. Parents have become lazy or failed to take up their responsibilities because they know that somehow they will approach Members of the County Assemblies (MCAs), Members of the National Assembly, Senators or Governors to contribute. We, as a Committee, noted that there is no accountability on the money that is collected through harambees. For example, out of Kshs100,000 contributed in a harambee, maybe only Kshs20,000 will be utilized for the purpose for which the harambee was organized. The rest goes to people’s pockets. That is why we came up with the measures, including what Sen. Martha has mentioned. For you to hold a fundraiser you must get a permit. The board should know about your harambee that is meant to collect money for a specific purpose. Many people approach leaders with many problems. If they are not assisted, they even send abusive text messages and a reminder that 2017 is around the corner. Some even say that they will ensure that you will not be re-elected. They even forget that some of us were not elected. We are here because of what we did for our political parties. Yes, harambees have played a bigger role in the society. However, it is the right time that we moved out of this system because there is a better way of doing things. I always ask myself: Are harambees going to end poverty? Currently, we have devolution. We, as the Senate, maybe we should now demand that the national Government shares revenue equally with the county governments. The national Government should allocate 50 per cent revenue to the county governments and remain 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."
}