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{
    "id": 842591,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/842591/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 209,
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    "content": "Kilifi County to establish whether the issues that were raised by the Auditor General were, indeed, true or whether there were mitigating circumstances. Madam Temporary Speaker, if you listened to my tone even as I was moving this Motion and the tone of the Seconder of this Motion, we believe that we were probably a little tepid in the kind of recommendations and the kind of findings that this Committee established. However, I would not want to second guess the Committee, because this was a Committee of very eminent persons. At this point, the Committee was chaired by none other than Sen. (Prof.) Anyang’-Nyong’o and deputised by Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo. It had the most eminent Senator and Senior Counsel, Sen. Wako. The men and women in this Committee were people who have served the country for a long time. I do believe that they had adequate grounds to make the kind of recommendations that they made. Madam Temporary Speaker, there are suggestions and comments from Members that are very valid. These suggestions must be taken into account. My conviction is that in adopting this Report, whoever will be following up on the implementation of this Report will be reading the Report of the Committee alongside the Hansard. The views that have been expressed by Members today form part of that Report. If a Member has a dissenting view on any finding on that Report, then that dissent must also be registered. In fact, the reason as to why the CPAIC does not conclude its work at the Committee stage but rather Tables its report, is to provide an opportunity for Members to look at this Report and even suggest amendments. I want to encourage Members that as we do this and as the Committee brings its reports before this House, it does not mean that we must adopt the Report as it is. Members have got the power and the right to move amendments. Madam Temporary Speaker, the issue of housing in Kilifi County is an issue that has raised a lot of media attention. I do remember that when this Committee was doing its work, there was a lot of media focus on how it was going to adjudicate on the matter. Indeed, it is true that the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) had given limits at that point. It had said that governors could put up houses up to a maximum of Kshs267 million. This Governor used Kshs140 million and they felt that it was justified, simply because the SRC had put a ceiling of Kshs267 million. We have seen Speakers putting Kshs150 million in their budgets because SRC told them that they can build up to Kshs174 million. The Committee on Finance and Budget is seized of this matter. The Committee on Finance and Budget, SRC and the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) have been sitting down and I am informed that so far, they have come up with model houses for Speakers, governors and their deputies. I believe that the amount involved has gone down somewhere to Kshs30million, Kshs50million and Kshs35 million depending on the counties. Madam Temporary Speaker, I know that there are other Motions and, therefore, I would not want to spend too much time on this. I wish to conclude by reminding my fellow Senators that in the Standing Order, oversight has been explicitly assigned to the CPAIC. However, the Constitution, which is superior, has given this role to Senate and Senators collectively. I will repeat what I said earlier; if you want to be more proactive, we must use our other Committees. Just as the Committee on Health went to Pumwani Maternity Hospital 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."
}