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{
    "id": 703376,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/703376/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 203,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "about the governor’s office that were contained in that report. Even if I had come and interrogated that report, because I was able to get a copy, it would be hearsay. This Senate must never have hearsay; it must be the custodian of every official record. The President must be under obligation, whatever the recommendation from this Senate, to speak to that report. We are improving our processes and want to set thresholds. In fact, if we set the thresholds low enough, there would be no County Public Accounts and Investments Committee (CPAIC) that has to summon every governor. If you do not meet a certain threshold, you will go home. At a time when we have such reckless theft, we must punish corruption by death, if necessary. Corruption is a common plan to kill men and economy and ruin the future of a country. Therefore, corrupt people must be treated as criminals or people who commit crimes against humanity. That is what corruption is doing to this country. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I have found this opportunity to speak to some of these issues largely because I feel fairly slighted as a Kenyan when a process can be ignored with discretion and taxpayers have put in their money. I sat as a Member of the Committee on Devolved Government to vet that panel and wasted my time. Do not waste my time when you have a pre-determined outcome. I was paid allowances for it; we do not sit for free in this Senate. We went for retreats to approve and bring a report, which was debated here in a Special Sitting and adopted. The process was commenced, people were sworn in, a secretariat was set up, money was allocated, witnesses and experts were called. Members of the panel were paid allowances; Kshs20,000 for the Chairman and Kshs15,000 for the members. After that, the President said that he exercised discretion. This discretion must never be absolute. That is why the wisdom of this Bill tends to cure this discretion. Look at the lost opportunity for Makueni County. Marauding Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) are as much of a problem to devolution as are governors. There are extremities in some counties, mine being one of them. There is the extremity of Makueni where they oppose everything and Mombasa County, where they oppose nothing. I am told by Sen. Musila that Kitui County falls under the same category; a rubberstamp bunch of old men and women who cannot stand up for the people they represent, because of cowardice and capacity issues. That is why I am happy that there is a robust discussion about the capacity of the MCAs to deliver. I believe that a degree on its own is not a gauge of integrity. Almost all thieves in this country are graduates. Integrity does not come from a degree. Almost all thieves have degrees; the internal auditors and lawyers. Therefore, a degree itself is not a measure of integrity, but it enhances capacity. If you have integrity and a degree, you are a good legislator. You do not find quite a number of us here sometimes because we are busy knocking doors in public offices looking for contracts. That is why I have some incline to embrace the values of the Opus Dei and live in a hostel, like the Governor of Central Bank of Kenya, and contribute money to justifiable courses, so that we do not have a conflict of interest. That is why he has no business and has not bought a piece of land; he has no conflict of interest at all. But some of us have gotten into the narrative of politics that they must give people money. Some people are distributing free food with their photos on them. These are irritating peasant politics; a group of people that is constantly manipulating the feelings of people they have deliberately dispossessed. 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"
}