{"id":584228,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/584228/?format=json","text_counter":236,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"counties and their county assemblies. The primary role of every legislator whether at the national level or at the county level, is representation. One way of ensuring that you have quality representation by MCAs is by ensuring that we have an open window of opportunity for them to interact with their citizens. One such opportunity is through petitions. This is going to open an opportunity for various citizens in our counties. We have witnessed many demonstrations in our counties on how the executive is not able to carry out its responsibilities as expected. In most of those demonstrations, we have seen residents petitioning the same executive, the county commissioner or the speaker in a haphazard manner. There are no proper structures to ensure that issues raised are addressed through proper channels. The petitioners need to know that when they present their petitions in the assembly, it will be received by the county clerk as indicated and go through the necessary checks. Madam Temporary Speaker, I would expect that every county assembly would designate one staff within the county assembly, to help members of the public ensure that their petition meets the required threshold. This will ensure that if somebody presents a petition that appears, on the face of it, to be substandard or does not meet the threshold, then you just do not turn them away. You help them to pursue and develop those petitions. Madam Temporary Speaker, I want to thank the Senate that on several occasions, MCAs of Nandi petitioned this House. Some of the issues, the form and structure of the petition were not as required in the Standing Orders. However, I want to appreciate the Senate because it designated one staff to help them develop and revise their petition into a format that is acceptable before this House. I hope that the various county assemblies will designate staff who will help members of the public ensure that they structure their petitions in a manner that befits what is provided for by law. We do not want to see members of the public being denied the opportunity to exercise their rights to petition, just because of a technicality. Those of us who are lawyers know when you go to court you can easily lose a serious case on the basis of technicality. But on matters of public governance and interest, we do not want to see situations where on matter of technicality, members of the public are denied their rights and opportunities to present their petitions to the county assemblies. Therefore, I request the various county assemblies to ensure that they put in place mechanisms that will ensure that they are able to help members of the public, a number of whom may be “ mama mboga,” and may not be properly schooled. The law provides that the petition may be typed or handwritten. We do not want to have a situation where we have strict rules that require “mama mboga” and boda boda riders to go to cyber cafes and type their petitions in, say, font 12. We want to allow every citizen in our counties to petition their issues to the various county assemblies, whether in handwritten or whichever manner as long as we are able to have their issues addressed by the county assemblies. Madam Temporary Speaker, these increased avenues for interaction will ensure that we have greater accountability by our county governments. We see a lot of issues being raised by members of the public against the county executive and even against the county assemblies themselves. One of our county assemblies has been in the newspapers 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."}