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{
    "id": 772612,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/772612/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 47,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "with 17 constituencies and a population of over 5 million. This is the great equalizer.We must rise and speak with one voice; that one county denied and starved of funds is all counties denied and starved of funds. This is because we want this country to grow equitably and for all the people of this country to benefit from devolution. Secondly, I hope that in this Session, now that we have set up the only watchdog Committee we have in this House, they are going to engage meaningfully and in a detailed manner in looking at the accounts of counties. We have a huge backlog of accounts of counties, probably three years in arrears.So, I hope that the Committee - Sen. M. Kajwang and those of us in it – are going to burn your midnight oil to make sure you look at the accounts of counties, bring reports on time to this House so that we can be able to debate and dispose of them in the appropriate manner possible. Thirdly, I hope that this Senate will stand as one. There is already a very mischievous Bill being tabled in the National Assembly to distort the sharing of proceeds from natural resources. We already passed a law stipulating that if Turkana has been protecting our oil, the people of that county must have ten per cent of the proceeds thereof. If Taita Taveta has been protecting our minerals, including uranium, they must have a minimum of ten per cent of all the proceeds thereof. If the Pokot County has been the custodian of our gold, they must have a fair share. But there is a distorted Bill coming to the National Assembly slicing the share of proceeds from resources to counties to a paltry five per cent. I want to urge that when that Bill lands in this House, especially my colleagues across the floor, for heaven’s sake do not turn up and vote on partisan lines. Vote in the interest of your counties because you never know what lies underneath the soils of your counties. When these resources are discovered, you will come running here and you will be shown, just like Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, that you passed the law that you are complaining about. Fourthly, as we get into this Session, this Senate must stand up to be counted in terms of protection of civil liberties and freedoms of the people of this country. I will want to hear, as we go along, what we have to say about the arbitrary,unreasonable and unilateral closure of television stations. I want us to hear a single voice on how, contrary to Article 16 of the Constitution, the country can wake up and strip its citizens of their citizenship. The Constitution is very clear that a Kenyan by birth cannot lose his right to citizenship simply by way of acquiring a citizenship of another country. How can we can wake up and deport our citizens? It is not just Miguna Miguna; we deported Akasha’s sons to the US and we have now deported Miguna Miguna. If you look at the German Constitution, it is very clear that no German national can be deported to another country for whatever reason possible. I think our constitutional article is borrowed from the German Constitution and should be broadly read in the same manner. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I do not want to belabour the points; things will come as we move on. I want to urge you on the point we raised as we were closing the last session; on the inability or the slow pace at which this House processes petitions by members of the public is also appalling.The Standing Orders require that a petition brought to this House must be concluded within 60 days. We have never concluded a single petition in 60 days. Some lasted a full term and wananch i out there come here because they have nowhere else to go. I hope that under your leadership and collective leadership of the House, we"
}