{"id":806767,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/806767/?format=json","text_counter":507,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Shiyonga","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":13181,"legal_name":"Masitsa Naomi Shiyonga","slug":"masitsa-naomi-shiyonga"},"content":"Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I rise to support this Motion. It will be a historical for us to have our sittings outside Nairobi. Our sitting outside is not about the people, but it is all about the decisions and the policies which we will debate while there. Our county governments are very young. They have been in existence for the last six years. Therefore, it is very important that we strengthen them. When they come into reality with what we are doing and discussing here, then it will help them grow fast and adopt the agenda in their various counties. Madam Temporary Speaker, there are various amendments that we are doing in this Senate. There are also various Acts and Bills we have passed here to strengthen our county governments and devolution in this country. We want to spearhead devolution to greater heights. By sitting outside this building, it means we, as a Senate, are supporting devolution in a more positive way. The issue of transporting people from various counties to this central place or Nairobi will be very expensive. By allowing ourselves, as Senators, to go to different regions in this country, it will be one way of saving resources and enhancing interactions with our people. They will also have an opportunity to tell us what they think about us. This will be better than bringing them to Nairobi. While there, it will be good for us to invite pupils and students to listen to our debates. It will give these young ones morale so that when they are growing up, they know what type of leaders they will emulate. Madam Temporary Speaker, it is very important that we will sit outside Nairobi and interact with people in that county. They will have many issues to share with us. They will learn how to petition the Senate and so on. However, it will now be very easy for them to do this because they are used to the environment that we will interact with them. It will be very easy for these people in this particular region that we are going to have our sitting to interact with us and pass their views or facts to us. This will enable us help and develop the functions that this Senate is mandated to do. Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I support."}