Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 744398,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/744398/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 76,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "all of them in general, that is neither here nor there. The point is they have done their work of delving into various aspects of the Standing Orders, the rules and so on. However, there is nothing really drastic which we can say has changed from where we are coming from to what now has been proposed. Some of the sentiments which have been expressed by various Members--- I also have the same concerns on the way the legislative function of the Senate has been conducted or the success of it. It is not to do with the Standing Orders, but something emanating from the Constitution itself. Previously, when we had a single or the Unicameral Parliament, things were orderly because we had only one Government with no devolved government and we had one committee here. However, the current Constitution came with a lot of good advantages to the wananchi, we established the Senate. However, we seem to have sort of established the Senate in a hurry. For example, we have been labouring in this House to call it an “Upper House”. However, you can obviously see there is no substance to it because the Constitution has structured the Senate in such a way that Bills will take almost forever before they are passed here because of the requirement of a very high threshold. In comparison, the threshold to pass a Bill in the National Assembly is 50 Members out of 349 Members. To that extent I would like to cite that to pass a Bill in the National Assembly, the quorum to discuss or even vote is 50 Members out of the 349. So, for a Bill that comes from either here or the National Assembly is very easy to process because you need only 26 Members out of 50 to pass a Bill and that is it. Here, you need half of the Members or half of the delegations. We have that complication. Whether it is a good thing or not; that the counties have equal votes and we need that high threshold and so on, it is one aspect which has grounded us. This is because for us to be able to vote and effect any legislation, we need such a high threshold that personally, I do not think it is achieving anything. If you look in Order Paper today - and I do not think all the Bills which we have are all included in this Order Paper--- We are about to close the Senate having achieved literally nothing or very little because most of the major Bills--- If you look at Order No. 10 - The County Pension Scheme Bill (Senate Bill No.20 of 2016) - it is probably the one single legislation which this House was going to bequeath the people of this country and the workers in the county governments, so that they can have a pension; something to look forward to when they retire. The fact that we are not able to do that is a failure of this House. But if you look at it, it is a failure emanating from the way this House is constituted from the Constitution. As I have said, the National Assembly legally requires only 26 Members out of the 349 Members to pass legislation. This House needs more than half of the Members. As a result, I would like to urge the incoming Senate--- and maybe I should take this opportunity to say that I am a retiring Senator. I am neither defending my sit nor going for any other sit. At some stage I did harbour the idea that I could probably stand for governorship in my county - Nyandarua County - and the voice there was quite loud saying: “We told you to be Governor in 2013 and you refused; now we are electing somebody else.” I respected that and we are going on. So, I am retiring. I will not be here and I am not going to be in any political forum."
}