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{
    "id": 833557,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/833557/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 176,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Murkomen",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": "In fact, one of the things that I talked about and it is something that counties must think about is establishment of county radios. I wish that the licencing procedures would be relaxed for purposes of establishing county radios, which will help the citizens of every county to follow what is happening in their assemblies. I am not even worried about what the executive does. The debates of the county assemblies are quality debates. If I know that Elgeyo- Marakwet is going to debate on something today and they have Elgeyo-Marakwet radio, I will listen to the debate. They can even start with online radio and there is no reason as to why they should not be given license to start their online radio. As a Senator, if I know that it is a subject that is important, I can sit down, listen and follow the debates together with citizens from all over the world. In fact, some of the things being done by county assemblies would enrich our debates in this House, especially those issues of public concern. However, where can we get them? How do you access the Hansard of Elgeyo Marakwet County Assembly unless you physically go there and ask for a specific debate that took place in the chamber? Suppose you wanted to follow the debate live, how would you follow that debate? County assemblies must be facilitated, and one way of doing so is by making sure that those debates can be followed. The citizens can oversight their leaders by following the petition when it is brought to the House. The leaders and the citizens want to know what happened. As a matter of fact, it should be made mandatory for every county assembly in Kenya, and they can afford it, to make sure that they upload all their Hansard reports to a website. That is the least we can do to ensure that it is mandatory for counties to have the reports in a particular website. I have been telling my County Assembly that there is nothing wrong with the Speaker employing one or two people who will ensure that they broadcast the proceedings of the County Assembly of Elgeyo-Marakwet on Facebook live or Twitter. Why should we struggle? That is how you start making that assembly attractive to the members of the public. People can then see the quality of the debates in those county assemblies. The business of the assembly and the petitions that will be sent there will go to waste if we do not create an opportunity for the public to access and follow what their county assemblies are doing. In fact, one way of ensuring that MCAs research before they debate and that they prepare for their Motions and Bills is to provide mechanisms for public scrutiny. I know of a county assembly in North Rift where one MCA used complicated English or an accent and that forced one MCA to ask the Speaker to request the member to go slow."
}