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{
    "id": 822661,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/822661/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 212,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "August 9, 2018 SENATE DEBATES 47 Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr.",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, I rise to support this important Bill. I think the Senate Majority Leader was very kind to the Committee that was dealing with this Bill. The purpose of committees is to have us interrogate some of the questions and Clauses. It is not enough to give them a warning. They should have given us a report. We are now debating a huge Bill without the input of the public and the Committee yet they had this Bill for 30 days. I do not think it is acceptable. The Senate Majority Leader must be a little rough on them on this one. Madam Temporary Speaker, may I begin by saying that Clause 7 of this Bill is very curious. Although the Senate Majority Leader read it, it is extremely curious. It states as follows- “(1) The Government shall facilitate the provision of affordable energy to all persons in Kenya”. However, Clause 7(2) appears to negate (1). It states:- “Where the National or County Government determines that a supply of energy in any area is necessary and upon assessment it is established to be commercially inexpedient to provide for the necessary reticulation by any licensee, the Cabinet Secretary or County Executive Committee member as the case may be, may undertake the provision of any such works or provide the funds necessary for the development of such works.” Clause 7(3) states as follows:- “Without limiting the generality of subsection (2), the Cabinet Secretary shall develop and implement a fair, transparent and equitable strategy to ensure that all households are connected to a supply of electricity by 2030.” I think the clause is mere political rhetoric because by 2030, the population will have increased. This clause is made on the assumption of the population in 2018 because in 2030, the population would have increased. The clause should have been worded better than this so that in 2030, you do not appear to have lost your goal. I am also of the view that we should make the clause on affordable energy a little better. We can polish this. That is why I said the Committee should have given us a better way of dealing with this. Madam Temporary Speaker, Kenyans are suffering because of expensive electricity bills, education and health. The Government says it will make it affordable yet at the moment, it is expensive. First of all, we should have had a criterion. How are we going to make it affordable to the common mwananchi who include mama mbogas because it is already expensive? Single-phase and three-phase are both expensive. Even when you pay, you have to wait for too long to be connected. When it goes to the Committee of the Whole, I will propose that we put quality control measures on provision of electricity. Even when Kenyans have paid for electricity, now speaking about Makueni County, they have waited for four to five years before being connected. Can we not make it mandatory that within a certain period of time upon payment, you shall be connected to the grid? 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."
}