Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 810791,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/810791/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 339,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Suba North, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Ms.) Odhiambo-Mabona",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 376,
        "legal_name": "Millie Grace Akoth Odhiambo Mabona",
        "slug": "millie-odhiambo-mabona"
    },
    "content": " Yes, because if they leave it open, nowadays we have so many slay queens and kings speaking about sponsors. Therefore, we need to tighten the definition of sponsor. Clause 6(1) is about the board of trustees and many people have spoken to it on the issue of gender balance. I will not complain much on this because it tries to abide by the constitutional provisions of one-third. I want to talk to it in relation to the county architecture and the framework which most of us think is about county councils. The county government has a legislative and executive framework. If you look at the way this Bill is structured, it favours the executive more than the legislative arm of the counties. I have been listening to the Members and several legislative proposals will be brought and the legislative arm of the county also wanting to be felt. I think there needs to be a balance. Otherwise, very soon, another Bill which will favour the legislative arm of the counties will be brought. Clause 6(3), I know Hon. Mbadi in his view said that there will be no need for a vice- chair, but I will not support this. In the absence of the chair, who will manage? We need a vice- chair, but then we need a zebra approach as we have done in some laws in the past. Where the chair is a woman, let vice-chair be a man. I think our women have now become much more assertive. In our virgin flight to the United States of America (USA), I have seen the pilot flying the President will be a woman. Also, Clause 6(5) states that the mode of appointment of the trustees should be by way of regulations. I think this is too important to be done through regulations. I would urge the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning to bring amendments. If need be, they can borrow from other past legislations, which indicate how you appoint trustees. This is too important to be relegated to regulations. I think the mode of appointment of trustees should be provided in the parent Act. Again, Clause 15(2) provides that the board should be in a position to co-opt up to three members. I think this is a terribly bad practice from a management perspective because that is a way of introducing the board through the back-door. If you are providing for a board and you are very clear about the mode and why they are being appointed, if they feel they do not have certain expertise, they can hire consultants. They should not bring three people behind the back. The reason it is provided is so that people can stop playing politics with the board. If you think you are outnumbered, then you suddenly co-opt. But you need to have a definite number of people appointed from a pool that we know, by law. They should not use considerations which we may not be aware of. Clause 24(5) is something my sister, Hon. Dennitah Ghati, will be happy about. It has positive provisions like the employer taking life insurance that has disability benefits of a minimum of three times the members’ annual pensionable emoluments. That is a good provision that I thank the Committee for bringing. However, I have a problem on Clause 29(2)(b) because it provides that despite provisions of any written law, a benefit granted under this Act shall not be liable to attachment in settlement of any claim. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}