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{
    "id": 517285,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/517285/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 305,
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    "content": "competitive spirit and particularly we in Africa like it. The harambee spirit should not go the direction of school ranking that Prof. Kaimenyi and company took because we are still going to pursue this subject until ranking is restored because it uniquely makes Kenya a very strong nation that other countries can emulate. The weakness we, as Kenayans, have is allowing an idea whose time has come to be messed up with. This harambee spirit has been messed up by some people pocketing money. Some have also used harambee funds for their own benefit as many Senators have enumerated. However, instead of arresting them, we end up praising them. I am hoping that this Bill clearly makes it mandatory that anybody who messes up with public funds is dealt with according to the law. This Bill has also talked about creating a body that is going to oversee this process. The only problem I have with that body is that it is going to be composed of the same Kenyans who will not follow the rules, but benefit from their positions. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we have had many parastatals in Kenya that have been running particular agenda and strategy that the nation wants to look at. We have even been dealing with agricultural crops like coffee, tea, maize and cotton that had bodies that were specifically dealing with these crops. A few Kenyans that had been entrusted by Kenyans to manage these bodies ended up benefiting themselves. In frustration, instead of going after the thief we end up winding up these bodies. This is where the weakness is. We are now saying that we are going to have harambee committees in the counties and at the national level. I would rather we had a law that clearly spells out what is going to be done to that person who in one way or the other messes up with this. That way we will be able to get more results than what it is today. We recently came from a centralized system to a devolved Government structure. We now have 47 counties. I do not know whether my colleague Senators have seen a scenario where every weekend there are harambees scattered all over the country. This is good for development because harambees are mainly held to raise school fees, building schools and to assist those who are unwell. In my county, I have discovered a trend where the Governor walks to harambees with a cheque book for the county Government. Since the majority of the people, particularly from where I come from do not know how to read and write, the Governor flashes the cheque. They declare that he has contributed a certain amount of money, say Kshs1 million and yet that is not what has been written on the cheque. Everybody is left praising that Governor whereas this is one man or woman who one or two years ago did not even own a bicycle and barely knows how to read and write. Their competitors are forced to go and loot from their work places so as to match their financial prowess whereas when, for example, Sen. G.G. Kariuki and I, who depend on the salaries donate Kshs50,000, they look at us strangely. They wonder how the father of the county can donate such small amounts. I am hoping that this law will discourage public funds being used for harambee. If it is building a school, the Government should be able to build schools and not ask us to hold harambee. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I know some Senators had a problem with some of our colleagues who were being referred to as the “sky team”. There is no problem to be given a lift in a helicopter which has been paid for by somebody to go somewhere for 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."
}