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"id": 864289,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/864289/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Wetangula",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 210,
"legal_name": "Moses Masika Wetangula",
"slug": "moses-wetangula"
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"content": "How many pensioners in Kenya can travel even from Isiolo to Nairobi or Bungoma to West Pokot, just on a trip to see the country side as a retired person? Those who have been entrusted to look after their money are the ones who boast that they have offices in Geneva, Accra, Abidjan and everywhere else on workers‟ money. This Bill comes at a time when devolution is just setting in and taking route. It is important that employees of the county governments also have a structure of pension that will help them upon retirement, knowing that some transitioned from the local authorities to the current employment. In doing this, we must avoid the mistakes of the past. Madam Temporary Speaker, if you look at our history, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection should, in fact, be called the Ministry of National Social Security Fund (NSSF). This is because the Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Protection does nothing, except paying keen interest on the NSSF and how they share money from it. Today, the NSSF has over 49 per cent of the shares of the National Bank of Kenya (NBK), which is a public bank. However, it is routinely raided by anybody and everybody of influence, and the workers‟ money just disappears. Madam Temporary Speaker, sitting in this House as a representative of the people, I am sure you are not an exception. Every other day, you have one or two people asking you to assist them to access their right, which is their pension. My office is next to my distinguished colleague from Tana River, and quite often, his constituents stray into my office to tell me: “We missed our Senator; we are not looking for fare back home, but help to access our pension.” When you ask one of them when he retired, he tells you that it was ten years ago. You can imagine having retired ten years ago and have not accessed your money, and those who are enjoying the largesse are different people. Madam Temporary Speaker, we come into a new dawn where this law must serve and assist people. I agree with Sen. Orengo that we should not have the stranglehold on these pension funds by the national Government, because these are contributions by employees of the county governments. We should not have the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and his or her representatives appearing to lord it over the Scheme and calling the shots at the expense of the real contributors and sponsors of the Scheme. In fact, under Clause 6, the chairperson of the board of this Scheme should be elected by members of the trusteeship, other than being appointed by the Cabinet Secretary. This is because what will happen – and we live in this country – is that the Cabinet Secretary will always appoint somebody compliant. It will be somebody who will preside over the looting of the money and always be reporting back to his or her appointing authority. In fact, the person appointed by the Cabinet Secretary as the chair of the board will not be championing the interests of the contributors and sponsors, who are the county governments. That person will be championing the interests of the national Government that is doing nothing in boosting this Fund. Madam Temporary Speaker, if we really want to protect the workers‟ money--- I look at this Bill and we are creating four very senior positions that will all gobble the money. We have a CEO, Fund Manager, Custodian of the Scheme and Administrator. All these are top-heavy appointments. I do not why we need this. If we have a managing trustee of the Fund and is properly--- The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}