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{
    "id": 618721,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/618721/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 186,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "content": "sometimes it requires consultations and establishing from the specific Senators if they wish to remain in the previous committee or move to another. It is fine for now but in the next House, there should be consultations among the Members on the committees they wish to serve in. Looking at the composition and what we have achieved, most of the committees have done a lot of work and have also done the Senate proud. People out there talk about the Senate as a House of reason and action through the effort of committees. Our committees have reached out to various assemblies but we do not interfere with the independence of those legislatures because, constitutionally, we cannot. All we want is to have them learn from us, understand and articulate issues. As the Committee on Education, we visited one of the counties and they articulated some of the issues they felt we should streamline. We told them that as the Members of County Assemblies (MCAs), they are supposed to hold the governors to account. We told them they should oversight the governors and ask about the specific issues. It is that sort of interaction that over time enables some sort of empowerment to MCAs and county assemblies in general, because this is a new system that we are implementing in this country. It would probably take the second or the third cycle for us to get more conversant with the various roles that need to be put in place and that becomes very critical. As we approve these names, I hope that provisions have been made for the new Senator who might join us, so that they will also find allocation in a specific committee of their choice. I think that will be put into consideration. I want to appreciate the Members who have been selected to serve in various committees, especially the County Public Accounts and Investments Committee (CPAIC), for the work that they have done and the courage they have shown in doing their work by calling governors to account. The role of oversight that we have to play in the Senate either as an assembly of Senate or as specific Senators within specific counties has been clearly stipulated. I have seen various documentations of various Senators holding governors to account. We need to move ahead and not to look at it as a fiery issue, but an issue of accountability. In fact, bearing in mind most of the information that is being sought, we need to move to a process or position of open governance in our systems, so that we can have the data ready and show who has been employed. We should tell people the amount of money that a county received, the budget and the way it has been implemented, without waiting to be asked. You are not asked for this information because somebody wants to fight you. If some Senators will be elected as governors and vice versa in the future, that is okay. Anybody is free to vie for any position they want. But let us look at the institution and the specific roles that they have to play. Let us create a culture and sense of accountability, especially as governors and other public officials. I have attended various CPAIC sessions and seen governors who come with members of their staff with their books ready to answer to some of the queries. What is wrong with that? In fact, in my understanding, the more resistant you are to come, the more suspicious people become about exactly what it is you are hiding. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes"
}