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{
    "id": 917044,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/917044/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 224,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Homa Bay Town, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Peter Kaluma",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1565,
        "legal_name": "George Peter Opondo Kaluma",
        "slug": "george-peter-opondo-kaluma"
    },
    "content": "A similar provision made pursuant to Standing Order No.35 of the Senate says that for the Senate, it will also be. What has our Senate done recently in their Standing Orders? It deleted sub-section (2) of their Standing Order No.35 providing for quorum to allow themselves to begin transacting business with even a single Member. How do you do that when the Constitution in Article 121 has already said that you cannot begin? Watching the afternoon session when they begin business, sometimes you see their Speaker with one Member. It becomes so idle that you see a Speaker forcing that Member to speak: “Hon. Member, do you have something to say?” Or: “Mr. Speaker, your face is looking very smooth today. Thank you for realising that I am the only one here.” That is not the Parliament we want. They do not get quorum because the Senate is busy plunging itself head-on into the functions of the National Assembly. The other time, we were in Philippines to learn how they started their National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) regime when we had to revive ours following a court decision. The Kenyan Consul who came to Malaysia to meet us in Philippines told us that he was called by Senate Members in the Defence and Foreign Relations Committee. I urge Members of this House to be firm. We told the Consul that he had no business meeting something called “Defence and Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate” because that is a function remitted to the national Government. I am very happy that the consulate offices refused to do so. Let us remind our State officers out there that, provided the provisions of Article 95(5) remain, that it is in this House where we can initiate their removal and where we oversee them, including the President. They have no business going to the other House. We have a very big difficulty as we speak, which I will be speaking to later on, concerning the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs. While we were addressing an issue concerning the Kenya School of Law and Council for Legal Education, a Senate Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights was already meeting the stakeholders. This is the case and yet the resolution coming from the Committee cannot be implemented at all. You are dealing with matters important to the Presidency and the nation as corruption in national Government and you have the Senate, instead of meeting governors, they are busy with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Attorney-General and Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission. If we do not put our feet down, the Senate, in their current operations, has ceased to be a House of Parliament and become an agent of confusion in parliamentary functioning and work."
}