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{
    "id": 730164,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/730164/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 160,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "March, 2017 and further notes the following Reports submitted by the President in fulfilment of the provisions of Articles 132 (1) (c) and 240 (7) of the Constitution, laid on the Table of the House on Tuesday, 28th March, 2017- (a) Report on measures Taken and Progress Achieved in the Realization of National Values and Principles of Governance; (b) Report on Progress made in fulfilment of the International Obligations of the Republic; and, (c) The Fourth Annual Report to Parliament on the State of National Security. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank the President and do appreciate that through his duties and obligations to the country he brings to Parliament this Address so that we can look at the progress of the country. We are able to critique and to appreciate the work that he has done. The President presented his address and outlined his achievements. The most critical agenda as a country as we move ahead is that we need to ask ourselves if, indeed, we wish to see our country move forward. Cohesion is very critical not just for the President but for the whole country. The President clearly outlined that within his promises that he gave the country, he has been able to demonstrate that he has delivered what is in his manifesto. He went on and assured Kenyans that while we appreciate devolution, which is our critical agenda in the Senate, implementation has not been smooth and we have seen the county economies grow. The biggest challenge that he talked about is corruption which I know is both at the National and county level. In the Senate we have seen many petitions come in. We have witnessed our County Public Accounts and Investments Committee (CPAIC) engage with governors to look at the challenges we face as we implement devolution. Mr. Speaker, Sir, while we know that our country with the pillar of devolution will go far, the biggest challenge of all is ethnicity that we also see in our counties.We should ensure that we have that interrelation. This was the last address of the President in the four years that he has been there. We experienced the biggest challenge of strikes especially the doctors’ strike. While we appreciate that the national Government is doing its bit, we also have to safeguard devolution because we are the guards. Even as we see the doctors and the governors exchange words about who will pay who, I hope the Senate will stand in to ensure the doctors are paid since that was the agreement. I always say that consistency is very important. Whether good or bad because we agreed that the doctors have to be paid, I think it is time they were paid. We need to stand with them as Senate. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the President went on and talked about our engagement in international obligations and more importantly that of working in partnership with Somalia. He also talked about the challenges we faced with Al Shabaab and the large scale of attacks that we have seen as a country. For us Kenyans, we reached a point of desperation when we felt that we had been hit hard. We stand strong as we celebrate our 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"
}