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{
    "id": 733123,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/733123/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 235,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Gikaria",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2489,
        "legal_name": "David Gikaria",
        "slug": "david-gikaria"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me an opportunity to contribute to this very important Motion. I am a Member of the CIOC and I am one of the people who did not support the introduction of a new committee on devolution. I had all the reasons to believe that we cannot be a country where if an agency fails to perform its duty, the only option left is to form another committee to perform functions of that agency. The CIOC is a constitutional committee which draws its mandate from Schedule 6(4) of the Constitution on Parliamentary Select Committees. It specifically draws its mandate in Schedule 6(4)(a), (b) and (c). It is not fair for us to start thinking that this is the only option for us to tame governors. I know you are also eyeing a gubernatorial seat in Bomet County, but I do not think it will be right for the National Assembly to be overseeing you when the Senate is bestowed with that responsibility. It does not matter whether Senators want to become governors. Whatever they want to do is their business. Article 96 of the Constitution is very specific on the role of the Senate. It expounds on what it is supposed to do and one of its functions is to oversee devolution. It will be wrong for us in the National Assembly to bestow that responsibility on ourselves. What we need to do is to tell the Senators to wake up if they are sleeping on the job. They should not be seen as if they are also eyeing gubernatorial positions and thus cannot oversee. Today, I could be a Senator and oversight would be my responsibility. The drafters of the Constitution mandated the Senate to oversee devolution. When we were introducing a committee to look into development issues to be chaired by the Senators, the governors did not agree with us. I totally agree that everybody should be given an opportunity according to the Constitution and we cannot pretend to change it through a committee report. The Constitution is very clear under the Sixth Schedule on the functions and the mandate of the CIOC. It is totally unacceptable for the Committee to come to Parliament to amend the Constitution using a Committee report. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}