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    "id": 574590,
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    "content": "firm, not just inside, but also outside the Chamber. I wish that he continues in that regard in so far as the Senate is concerned. I am not saying this because he has given me an opportunity to second this Motion. Secondly, it would be appropriate for the leadership of the Senate – that includes the Senate Majority Leader and the Senate Minority Leader – to go out and tell the people what we have done today. This is because sometimes it is taken for granted when we pass and allocate resources to the counties. It is just a matter of cause; the Senate has no alternative. We are doing it as a matter of obligation. If the leadership of this House could go out there tomorrow and talk to the public through the media, as way of even reviewing the work we have done; that we have made resources available to the counties and our expectation is that the counties are going to use these resources in the manner in which the budgetary allocations have been made and so on, the people are going to get services. As Sen. G.G. Kariuki said earlier, there is a political question that we are going to answer to the electorate. Since there is a lot of wastage and pilferage, we will be asked the question: “Where was the Senate?” Madam Temporary Speaker, we have tried our best to ensure that resources are available and play our oversight role in so much as the law and Constitution allows. However, it is important now to put our foot down in the subsequent days, to ensure that these resources are used properly and the oversight role is intensified. This is because given a cursory look of what is happening in the counties, if we do not put a strong voice, people may unwittingly begin to lose confidence in the devolved units; the counties. I, therefore, plead with the leadership of the Senate. I think that we are a bit shy and have too much decorum sometimes. Sometimes we need to pat ourselves on the back instead of waiting for other people to do so. Thirdly, the other day in reaction to the visit by President Obama, I said that although the Senate Majority Leader is a very strong Member of the Jubilee Coalition and Sen. Orengo is a Member of the CORD Coalition, when we are talking about the country, there is no CORD or Jubilee country. The country that we have is the Republic of Kenya, which is bigger than anyone of us. Therefore, the Senate having been the House that, in many instances, has shown political maturity, but needs to start a conversation or narrative that on the important issues like the ones which President Obama talked about – corruption, national reconciliation and unit and inclusivity – probably, we should begin to talk with one voice. I have been thinking that as we open the new assembly building in Siaya, for example, if we could have as many Senators from both sides of the House, under the leadership of the Speaker, we may have an opportunity to tell the Members of the County Assemblies (MCAs) that they have got a greater responsibility. This responsibility does not lie on them because they are Members of CORD, ODM or the Jubilee; there is a constitutional duty which they must perform. If they perform it well, then the system will succeed. If we can follow up with many other meetings in the county assemblies, including Kiambu and Tharaka-Nithi, I for one would like to go there, so that we begin to 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."
}