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{
    "id": 678857,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/678857/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 291,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Ong’era",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13117,
        "legal_name": "Janet Ongera",
        "slug": "janet-ongera"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me this opportunity to also contribute to this Bill. Let me join my colleagues from the outset in congratulating Sen. Wangari for bringing up this very important and fairly straightforward Bill. This Bill aims at entrenching devolution right into the counties. As we know, health services have been devolved to the counties. Therefore, amending Section 4, which I fully support so that we get a member from the Council of Governors (CoG) sitting in the board, is a very acceptable and straightforward matter. However, I feel that time has come when even the NHIF should be fully devolved to the counties. Since we have already devolved health services, I do not see why we should now have a national umbrella body that manages insurance schemes. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we know that right now, there are many insurance schemes in the world which benefit our people, just like the one Sen. M. Kajwang spoke about on micro insurance. These are the kind of schemes that we need, like the ones in the USA. When Sen. (Prof.) Anyang'-Nyong'o was the then Minister for Health Services, I remember he attempted to introduce an insurance scheme yet it was rubbished. He was made to look like the villain. Had he been given the opportunity then, that health service scheme that he intended to introduce would have really benefited our ordinary people right in the counties. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I also support the second amendment which intends to reduce the penalties which have been imposed by The National Hospital Insurance Fund Act. There is no need of making defaulters pay such a hefty penalty when this scheme is actually supposed to support the poor. You know that majority of members of this scheme are really in the bracket of what we call “the youth and young people.” Therefore, I welcome that amendment. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I can also see that there is another amendment for the recovery of compensation of damages which I also support. However, there is an elephant in this House. The elephant is that we are all the time debating on Bills which when we send to our sister House, the “Lower House” which is the National Assembly are never passed. So, I do not see why we should be wasting our time debating on Bills here in the House and yet we do not agitate through your Office to ensure that, indeed, the National Assembly passes them just as we pass theirs. We are on record in this House saying that when the National Assembly Bills come here, we do not waste our time but debate on them, just as we are honourable Senators, and pass them. Therefore, I feel that it behooves the National Assembly to pass our Bills. Right now, I believe over 39 Bills have gone there. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, with those few words, I beg to support."
}