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{
    "id": 772648,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/772648/?format=api",
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    "content": "The one being implemented today is a Jubilee manifesto. So, our work is to align what we do in this House with that manifesto; build housing for people, make sure there is universal healthcare in all our areas, people have water and our young people get jobs through manufacturing. So, this is in the spirit of bipartisanship. It is about speaking to each other, being able to sit on a table or agreeing or agreeing to disagree. In that spirit then, our work will then be to persuade our colleagues across the aisle to support that agenda but also being able to listen to the ideas, input and incorporate ideas from across the aisle. That is the kind of politics that I believe this Senate must pursue. Mr. Speaker, Sir, trying to assume that then the Members from Jubilee should be divorced from the plan of our agenda of the executive is not democratic. It is not what our Constitution stands for because, similarly, we would not expect Members from NASA to divorce themselves from the principles around which they went to seek a mandate from their people – in Kilifi or Kisumu – there is what they believe in and why they voted you in. So, where we are today is, how do we bring this together? How does the Senate become a forum where everybody, no matter how you got into this House, can sit and say, what is the best thing for our people? I am glad I have heard Sen. Nyamunga, for instance, talking about the challenges of water in Nairobi. This is something that I would need your support to see how we can ensure that what needs to be done for Nairobi to get water is done. On a light note, the water that was going to come to the City of Nairobi through the north collector tunnel was “resisted” by your party. That is neither here nor there. Now, we are here. How do we agree because when there is lack of water in the city, the people who do not have water are from both sides of the political divide? That is the spirit of bipartisanship that we require in this House. We can look at issues objectively as they are and as are brought to us. Mr. Speaker, Sir, during this recess, as you may be aware – and we will be bringing business to the SBC to address the matter of disasters – that in Nairobi County I had more than five fire incidents in different slums, of course, without any allocation but because the people elected us, we had to help and sort it out. I am glad that Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. has put together disaster management legislation that brings together National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC), National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) and all these institutions so that our response to these disasters is coordinated. This will also help in the efforts that we put in place to prevent these disasters from happening, from the issue of illegal connections of electricity in the slums. I am sure Sen. Outa can relate in Kisumu to the issues of land where somebody, in case of a dispute, tries to burn the place so that he can evict the people living there. This can be addressed in this House. I will be looking for the support of Senators. Also during the recess, I witnessed something very interesting, that from the level of Member of County Assembly (MCA) – MCAs, Members of Parliament (MPs) and governors were giving out bursaries to students to go back to school. The women representatives also have a fund. The Senator is just what we call “ Kizungu mingi,Kiswahili mingi na cat walk” We seriously need to look at how we can give our Senators capacity. I have 85 wards and 17 constituencies. I need to put my Governor to check and make sure that he delivers. I also need to make sure that the work of the Senate is felt by the people. That is"
}