Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 549355,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/549355/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 153,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "For the last two years that we have been in this Chamber, we have been treated with a lot of inequalities since we are lampooned in the Parliamentary Service Commission. For instance, do we enjoy all the benefits of the Members of the National Assembly or in effect, represent the very lower populace? For us to have an effective oversight, we need to be facilitated in terms of our constituencies which are slightly larger than those run by Members of the National Assembly. On the other hand, if any Member has taken any interest to see how we have been receiving our payments, we receive them under the umbrella of the National Assembly. You wonder why you get a cheque that is payable through the National Assembly and yet you are a Member of the Senate. This Senate is composed of eminent men and women of repute who have held great offices – doctors, engineers, former ambassadors and so on. It is surprising that you cannot even invite anybody to come to your office because the 10 by 10 offices that we sit in are an abuse to the repute, image and the name of the Members of this House. Most Members of this House are here in the interest of public service. They are not interested in monies. What they are interested in is facilitation. What some of us have come into this House for is to receive some honoraria or token for delivery of service to our country. Most of us in this House cannot spend our money to do the work of our nation. The more reason why we need a separate entity called the Senate Service Committee, an equivalent of other commissions in the world like the Philippines and the United States of America (USA). In these countries, Senators are effectively equipped to deal with mundane issues of oversight and facilitation for the work that they need to do. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, look at the way we are treated by the National Assembly on the issue of Division of Revenue Bill. The Senate does its role of looking at the interests of the counties and decides to just do a small increment for counties to get money for emergencies, so that they can deal with emergencies; issues of emergencies require urgent and sudden attention. We are then told that we must show the National Assembly where we are going to get the Kshs7 billion. That is a big joke. You cannot ask the nation of Kenya, the national Government, a country with huge resources, where we are going to get the small increment of Kshs7 billion. That is more reason why we need to demarcate the two offices, not only to ourselves but also to others who will come to enjoy the benefits for posterity. When my son, Prince Mong’are will be in this House 30 years to come, I will want him to enjoy running an oversight effective to the County of Nyamira. We are suffocated in Parliament. When the people who elected us hear the name “Senator”, they think this is the right position to safeguard their interests at the counties. Many Senators cannot move, especially like my friend Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale and Sen. Wetangula, who have 11 – 12 Constituencies. They cannot effectively run their role of oversight because they are suffocated by a very meagre income for their staff. You cannot even have research officers do what we are asked to do in this House. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is a clique of the old order who want to suffocate this Senate so that it can have a natural death the way it was done in 1966. However, they have forgotten that the Senate of today is here to stay. The Constitution of Kenya has 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."
}