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{
    "id": 884828,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/884828/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 211,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nominated, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. David ole Sankok",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13166,
        "legal_name": "David Ole Sankok",
        "slug": "david-ole-sankok"
    },
    "content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. The Speaker has all the right to balance regions, counties, gender and persons with disabilities. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to contribute. As far as this matter is concerned, I am independent because I do not have a constituency office. I am very independent when contributing to this particular debate. From the outset, I totally oppose the backdoor amendments that are not in line with our Constitution. According to the Fourth Schedule, the Senate is supposed to oversee the county governments. The county governments have several functions as outlined in the Fourth Schedule which the Senate is supposed to oversee. If they have failed in their duty of overseeing the functions of the county governments, they should tell Kenyans so that we introduce an amendment in the referendum to send them home and disband the Senate. The reasons why they are trying to get additional functions for themselves is because their functions are also performed by Members of County Assemblies (MCAs). It was a mistake by the drafters of our Constitution to have the Senate in place because we now have two arms of Government overseeing one institution - the county governments. Governors do not know if they are answerable to MCAs or the Senate. These amendments were ill-informed. Nominated Members have their own personal offices. Officers that work in our personal offices are people we choose. They are not competitively recruited like the rest. The NG-CDF office competitively recruits its officers who are gazetted. It is totally different from the personal office of a Senator or a Member of Parliament. We should differentiate between public functions and personal offices. If there is an officer we should include in this committee then it should be the Office of the Women’s Representatives. This is not the personal office of the Women’s Representative, but the National Government Affirmative Action Fund offices at the county level. Introducing Senate officers to sit on this committee is ill-informed and wrong. I am 100 per cent sure that most Members will oppose these amendments and the Bill will go to mediation. It is high time we had proper representation in the mediation or arbitration process. We are given slots depending on the ratio of representation in the National Assembly and the Senate. It is also good for Members of this House to realise that the Senate is not performing its functions and mandate. They no longer know their mandate. They have not read the Constitution properly. When we go to the referendum - if it actually comes to pass - this House should draft a question on how to disband the Senate so that we remain with the National Assembly overseeing the national Government and the county assemblies overseeing the county The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}