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"id": 750988,
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"content": "years, the Senate has considered many Bills on various aspects affecting counties and devolution, in addition to Motions, Petitions, Statements, Reports and other Business transacted by the House over this period. There are also a number of key Bills listed for consideration by the Senate this afternoon that will need to be ably taken forward into the future. Hon. Senators, it is sad that as this term comes to a close, only a few Bills originating from the Senate have been successfully passed by both Houses and assented to. This is a matter we have had extensive discussions about, going right to the architecture of the Constitution, and which I am sure will continue after this. But I can assure you the self-fulfilling prophesy of doom cannot cloud our resolve. It is my firm conviction, however, that the current situation is not what the framers of the Constitution and, indeed, Kenyans had, when re-establishing the Senate under the 2010 Constitution. As Senators will recall, I have previously observed that the Senate was deliberately created by the people of Kenya as an organ of the national Government to perform specific functions, and especially to be a guardian angel of devolution, which goes to the heart of the constitutional order. I may add, if there is no Senate, there is no devolution and there is no need for a new Constitution. It is, therefore, important that, as the Senate comes to the end of its first term, we re-look at the architecture of the Constitution, particularly as far as processing legislation between the two Houses is concerned, with a view to ensuring that the Senate effectively discharges its mandate under the Constitution and that a clear-cut distinction in mandate and operations be made between the lower and the upper Houses. In addition to its representative, legislative and oversight roles, the Senate has achieved various milestones over the last four and a half years. Notable among them are relocation from the temporary Chamber to the permanent Chamber that we have now. The same Senate also has in the last two years, successfully organized the Annual Legislative Summits bringing together the Senate, County Assemblies and key players in the devolution sector. During these summits, we have identified and soberly deliberated on the critical aspects of devolution, the gains and successes accomplished, difficulties encountered, and come up with resolutions and plans of specific action on the way forward, including ensuring devolution of all the functions that are supposed to be devolved under the Constitution. We have also taken our responsibility seriously to ensure that there is more cohesion amongst the players of devolution; a role that may not be appreciated by many, but extremely critical in laying the foundation of the new architecture. The Senate has also participated in the capacity building of county assemblies, through bench-marking visits by Committees and Members of County Assemblies at the Senate, as well as through legislative attachments at the Senate for county assembly staff. In fact, our Committee on Information Technology developed what we call the model ECD classroom which a number of counties have been be able to adopt and actually build to specification. Hon. Senators, in addition, the Senate has hosted dignitaries who have addressed the House, among them, the Speaker of the Senate of Rwanda, Hon. (Dr.) Jean"
}