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"content": "I ask myself, “If, despite what I saw in my county referral hospital, we were ranked number three, how does number 47 look like?” If we were number three, what would number 47 look like? We should look at other comparable jurisdictions. I have friends in Canada who are Senators including Madam Raynell Andreychuk who used to be the Canadian High Commissioner here. She is my good friend and we correspond quite a lot. The Senator from the northern territories of the Hudson region has a helicopter available on request at any time for him to tour his counties and constituency. How do you expect the Senator for Turkana, Marsabit or Wajir to visit their counties? West Pokot County is small. The only issue is that it is in a difficult terrain but it is not as big. Other Senators who serve vast territories are Senators for Garissa, Tana River and Kitui counties. These are massive areas. That is why this is just the beginning. I want to conclude by, first of all, endorsing the Committee that we have put in place. I hope that they will, when they first meet, elect a good chairperson who will send good signals that the Senate is not grand standing and not in a test of wills. The Senate is giving the spirit and letter of the Constitution meaning by doing what we are doing. Secondly, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, if the President and his deputy need some unsolicited advice from me, I will tell them that when they sit there as the head and deputy head of state and see that there is Okoa Kenya, governors and the Senate asking for the Constitution to be looked at, then there is a problem. There are many wananchi who call themselves “Bunge la Mwananchi” asking the same questions. Television and radio shows are also asking the same questions and that tickles your medulla oblongata to start wondering whether it is not time, in fact, to find a middle ground and have a bipartisan, less acrimonious and less noisy national coated approach to look at the Constitution because the Constitution is good. However, conventional wisdom tells us that a good idea will always give way to a better idea; a better idea will give way to the best idea. We started with an idea that is good. We have tested, tried and now we recommend that there is a better idea on the horizon that can make things better. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, being a lawyer you know that law is not static. Law is by its very nature dynamic. That is why we can pass law and a court of law, properly thinking in the category of Lord Denning, Justice Madan or Lord Diplock would interpret that law and make it even better by setting a precedent that will improve the law that was passed by Parliament. So, the dynamism of life is that where you are today is not where you will be tomorrow and where you were yesterday. If we do not appreciate this, then we are headed in the wrong direction. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I want to urge the Committee, in which you are a Member, to take up this. All these initiatives will eventually probably confluence to a national good. I want to urge that we find a middle ground of sobriety and make it possible for this country to be truly bicameral, devolved and for those who manage our devolved funds to be held accountable, by putting mechanisms in place where they are accountable to this House in real terms and this House is able to oversight and use what Safaricom calls “ mulika mwizi” to those who are misusing public funds. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I beg to support. 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."
}