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{
    "id": 811980,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/811980/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 70,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "You will have government functionaries sitting down in a boardroom, drinking very expensive tea and saying, for example, that the people of Makueni, Kiambu or whichever part of the country deserve this project. Consequently, when they realise that they cannot execute it without taking it through public participation, they hurriedly organise a session to meet members of the public, where people give their views. However, these views are not taken into consideration. Mr. Speaker, Sir, Clause 4(d) is very important, because it provides a safety net where, in future, you shall not just organise a public participation exercise and have it just like a talk shop. You will have to justify and show, in your report, that the views that members of the public raised with you, as an authority and as an institution, were taken into consideration. If they were disregarded, you should also explain why. That is extremely important, wise and well thought out. Mr. Speaker, Sir, under the determination of the responsibilities of authority under Clause 5, the various institutions must consider, think and be properly guided when they are going about their duties and are listed; they must ensure that we are not left out, as Parliament. The most pleasurable things that I have done this term, as a Senator, is to conduct public participation on a Motion that I had brought here regarding the challenges facing the tea sector. Going out to the counties and listening to the thoughts and ideas of the people that we lead have about what we do has been extremely interesting. I am sure that you and many of my colleagues may have watched a video that has been circulating on WhatsApp, of a famous farmer called Kibet in Eldoret, who confronted a Committee of the National Assembly that had gone to seek the views of the public on the challenges that the farmers were facing at the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB).You will realize that despite the fact that the farmer has very little or limited education, he raised very valid questions. He asked the Committee: “You came here last year and gave us assurances; what are you coming here to do? Are you not just consuming our taxes?” This Bill shall be a turning point for us as an institution. At the end we shall have a law that shall give the guiding principles of the ideas and thoughts that we need to think through before going to the members of the public. It will even help us know the questions that they have about a particular issue. We must justify and show them why we consider ourselves to be different from others who have visited before. Going by the trend of the discussion in the video that was circulating, if the Members of that Committee did not have the correct answers, they could have been lynched. They were even told that they were driving cars fueled by the taxpayers’ money. With the passage of this Bill, such issues will cease because we will first have to refer to the reports that have been done before and do a comparison. We will then know the authority that had disregarded previously raised issues by members of the public before reaching a particular decision. Part VI of this Bill speaks to the specific public participation guidelines and the various authorities that are required to conduct public participation. It goes on to say that each responsible authority shall develop guidelines for undertaking public participation in respective institution. I want to laud this as an extremely wise decision by the drafter of 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."
}