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{
    "id": 602990,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/602990/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 187,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Orengo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 129,
        "legal_name": "Aggrey James Orengo",
        "slug": "james-orengo"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I plead with you not to go the way that the distinguished Senator for Mombasa has suggested. For us to adjourn, it should be a decision by the House. Whenever we want to adjourn for any purpose, the matter should be placed before the House and a decision made. It should not be a matter left to the Speaker. In any case, we have a programme which is preset. To interfere with it, you will need a resolution of the House. I say this out of experience because we fought over this matter a long time ago when you would be told that there was Harambee at Kenyatta University and the whole House was required to go there because the President was to attend or when he was travelling back from New York, all the Members of Parliament were required to be at the airport to meet him. That always came from a fiat from the Speaker. In order to exercise our independence, we should at all times ensure that if we want to adjourn, a decision should be taken by the House notwithstanding that the guest who is coming is none other the Pope. Sometimes it depends on our relationship with whoever is coming. For instance, when President Obama came, he did not think that it was important to talk to Parliament. Therefore, if we had adjourned under those circumstances, it would not have been proper. On the issue of attendance, I agree with Sen. Kagwe that there is a deeper problem. He addressed it from one component. The second component is that we need the leadership of the House to determine whether we are a Parliament exercising its legislative authority. This is because no Bill that we have passed here has ever seen the light of day in terms of Presidential Assent. Even when we take Bills across to the other House, they are never dealt with yet we religiously deal with any matter that comes from the other House. The leadership of the House, particularly the Senate Majority Leader and the leadership around him should take up this matter with the Executive. Personally, I have overheard Members say what point is there about passing a Bill yet it will not go anywhere. Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale’s Bill was one of the Bills that we passed when we were still at the “garage” at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC). That Bill is dead like a dodo . It has never been heard of again. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the linkage with the National Assembly and the Executive is important to make sure that we are not being taken for granted. Otherwise, with the way we are going, at the end of the day, we may as well take up other matters 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."
}