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"id": 744401,
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"content": "I would like to urge the incoming Senate to look seriously into causing a referendum to happen, so that we revisit the Constitution and make this House truly an Upper House or do away with it. As we are now, this House is not achieving the purpose which we thought it would do. All over the world, the Senate is an Upper House. An Upper House means a senior House. It can originate legislation, but its main work is to moderate, so that things which are done in the Lower House can come here and be moderated. I am quite sincere that if we do not change the Constitution and make this House truly an Upper House, then there is no point having it. Last but not least, when we talk about the Bills which have not been passed because of the handicaps I mentioned and the other Bills which have gone to the National Assembly and they lie there, I think they are 15 or thereabout--- They have been passed there and as per Standing Order 146, they will die. I agree with the Member who just spoke before me that that Standing Order 146 should be revisited both in the Senate and the National Assembly. It is not right that all the work, like I know there are about two Bills to my credit; The Potato Produce and Marketing Bill and the County Industrial Development Bill--- They were passed here after about two years. Now if they die, which is what is going to happen, all the work which has been done by this House, including through the Committees, public hearing and all that will go to waste; it is not fair. The real elephant in the room is the reports of this House pertaining to the oversight function. I am a Member of the County Public and Investment Committee and we have done all the accounts for 2013/2014, but they have not been adopted by the House, which means they are worth nothing as far as the rules are concerned. We have looked at 2014/2015 and I think we have finished like 10 of them. Because of this rule that what has been done by the other House sort of dies, it is very unfortunate because it will either mean that the accounts of each of the 47 counties have to be repeated or governors will get away with ‘murder’ as it were. Therefore, presuming that the House is not bound by that because we have adopted these Standing Orders, that is not the end of it, it can be revisited midstream. On that basis, I wish to support the Motion on that basis and take this opportunity to wish everyone well. As I said, I am retiring and not defending my sit. So, definitely I will not be in the Senate. I wish everyone success in the positions they are seeking. We would like to have continuity and hope that we are going to get enough Members, who are sitting Members of this Senate, continuing into the new Senate, so that at least there is continuity and some of the sentiments which we expressed will continue. Before I sit down, let me cite, on the same premise of the handicap we have as a Senate. We have an argument between us and the National Assembly with regard to the Division of Revenue Bill. When you look at the way the Constitution is structured, it is such that the National Assembly goes via Article 221, which gives them power to do an Appropriation Bill and give money to the National Government, but not to the county government. Logically, they should not because they should wait for the Division of Revenue Bill, so that they know how much is for the national Government and be able to do the budget for it and continue. But because the Article is silent, it means they will hide behind that and go ahead, which I think they have already done, to do appropriation for"
}