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{
    "id": 591388,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/591388/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 111,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Orengo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 129,
        "legal_name": "Aggrey James Orengo",
        "slug": "james-orengo"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. First, let me also join my colleges who have spoken particularly Sen (Eng.) Muriuki, who has congratulated both the Chair and the Vice Chair of the Committee. I must admit that this Committee was chaired by the youngest amongst us. I think they gave very effective leadership in conducting its affairs, until we came up with the draft which was agreeable and acceptable to all the Members of the Committee. I also want to comment the sprit under which discussions were carried out in this Committee in the sense that they were carried out in a bipartisan manner. It was a contest of ideas and positive debate other than contestation on political issues or matters which were not relevant to the discussion that we were having in this particular Committee. Madam Temporary Speaker, I want to say very boldly that if the Senate continues to operate the way we are operating, I think it should be disbanded. The way we are operating at the moment, and looking at our legislative records, in the last three years, only four or five Bills have gone through the Senate and have received presidential assent. Three of those were actually Bills which were required and were mandatory under the Constitution. The only legislation which has come from this Senate directly, that had no constitutional bearing was the Sang Bill. We know what eventually happened to the Sang Bill. The court discussed it and came to the conclusion that it had certain provisions which are not in line with the Constitution. In effect, it looks like the Senate is merely a sinecure. A sinecure is a position that exists in all for the glamour and the glory but without any power or authority. It is matter of great injustice to the makers of this Constitution, that at the end of the day, despite that the design and structure of this Constitution that what the Senators will merely be doing here is to sit and debate without the authority of legislation. The Constitution is quite clear that legislative authority of the Republic is in both the Senate and the National Assembly at the national level and in the county assemblies at the county level. I want to say this in order to persuade our brothers in the National Assembly that the way power is distributed in a modern Constitution, and if we really believe in constitutional democracy, is that power is distributed not just within the traditional three arms of government, but even within the arms of government be it the executive, power is distributed. This is in effect to make sure that the functions of Government take effect efficiently and there is accountability and the requirements and needs of the people are met. For example, in the Executive, we glorify the presidency as a very powerful position 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."
}