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{
    "id": 782100,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/782100/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 274,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cherargei",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13217,
        "legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
        "slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to express my comments on the County Governments (Amendment) Bill, 2017. I am a Member of the senate Committee on Devolved Government and Intergovernmental Relations. From the outset, I thank the Senate Majority Leader, who happens to have been my lecturer in international Law at Moi University. I am happy and excited to be part of the Amendments he has brought before the House. This Bill could not have come at a better time. This is because coincidentally, a fortnight ago, the Supreme Court of Kenya under Reference No. 1 of 2015, the former Speaker of Embu County, hon. Mate, sought an advisory opinion on what happens on the issue of running of county governments, especially when the county governor is impeached and the deputy is not. Although the Supreme Court of Kenya captured what is envisaged under this Amendment Bill, they admitted in their advisory opinion that there was no legal framework. It is important, at this point in time, that we are now actualising and putting in place a legal framework so that our county governments, as critical as they are, can be run without any hitches. As we talk, the county governments of Nyeri and Nairobi do not have deputy governors. This Bill is timely because we are looking into posterity on how we can, in future, cure such situations where the Constitution has not provided for them. I agree with the issues that have been raised so that it becomes easy to run county governments. I know that governors were not comfortable with the introduction of Section 32(a) of the County Governments Act, where the deputy governor could assume office – and God forbid – when the governor-elect is not, as envisaged under Article 182 of the Constitution, in a position to assume office. The deputy governor could, therefore, hold office for a brief period of 60 days and then we go back to elections. The governor and deputy governor vie on a joint ticket and there are so many factors that we consider before running for governor. Fortunately or unfortunately, I know that we might not have members here who have tried to run for governorship. Only a few of us have tried to vie for that position. There are so many dynamics that you must consider before running for governorship. I, therefore, agree that if, in any case, the governor-elect dies before assuming office, it is important to go back to the people because they were vying on a joint ticket. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}