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{
    "id": 591344,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/591344/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 67,
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "point on the unique functions of the two Chambers of Parliament. There are so many people who have not yet appreciated that the terminologies have changed. When we say “Parliament”, we mean the Senate and the National Assembly. We agreed that we are not coming here to glorify one Chamber against the other. We are not proposing amendments that will make the Senate more powerful than the National Assembly. Our role is to ensure that we have a working legislature and that we have a Senate that mirrors the traditions and practices of Senates all over the world. We want a Senate that will carry out its legislative responsibilities in a manner that will check the other Chamber of Parliament. We also need a National Assembly that will carry out its responsibilities in a manner that will check the Senate. We did not want to be petty because this is not a House of pettiness. It is a House of laws, soberness and reason. We must give direction to our people as a nation as to how the two Chambers of Parliament are supposed to operate in a manner that is in conformity with the constitutional order of systems of government that are like us all over the world. Therefore, Article 95 provides that the National Assembly will represent constituencies while the Senate will represent counties. There is this assumption that the National Assembly represents the people. However, all of us, represent the people. At the end of the day, we exist because of people. We do not exist because of objects, but we exist because we represent living things; human beings. These are people who can reason. These are the people we govern; these are the people who voted for us and they expect services from us. So, assuming that when saying constituencies, it will be an object or a creature called constituency minus people, it is to stretch our imagination far. It means people of those constituencies. The Senate represents counties. It serves and protects the interests of the counties and their governments. It also oversights over revenue allocated to, raised by or rather received by county governments. The current Article 96 provides that our responsibility to oversight resources allocated by national Government to the counties. There is a provision in Article 96 that also permits the Senate to look at other resources. The protection of interest can go to resources raised or received by county governments so the provision has been made more clear in terms of what the Senate can do as stated in Article 96 of the Constitution as a special responsibility of the Senate in that regard. The second thing we did in as far as the legislature was concerned is reviewing the legislative process, how Bills are moving from one House to the other; how Bills will be processed from the National Assembly to the Senate, and the Senate to National Assembly until to the point where we go for presidential assent. Madam Temporary Speaker, the first thing that we need to look at is where we are told that the Senate shall consider Bills concerning counties. This is currently the most misinterpreted and misused provision. Particularly it is the reason the relationship between the National Assembly and the Senate has not been very good. It is a definition that minimalists – people who do not believe that the Constitution is a living thing that is growing and is interconnected – have used to ensure that they deny the Senate the responsibility to legislate and protect interests of counties. We, therefore, proposed that the Senate will consider all Bills having amended Articles 94, 95 and 96. To ensure that the Senate will consider all Bills, Article 110 in so 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."
}