Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 918748,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/918748/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 278,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "targets in terms of revenue collections. However, it is just out of a basic foundational principle in the establishment of this House that we cannot call ourselves the Senate and participate in an exercise that reduces the amount of money that goes into counties. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, if we were to accept a cut in shareable revenue from Ksh314 billion last year to kshs310 billion as the Division of Revenue that was placed before this House from the National Assembly, then we can as well take over the knife from those who dream of killing devolution in this country. However, we, as a House, have taken a very strong position on this and said that this is a matter that we consider to be apolitical. It has got absolutely nothing to do with either the majority or the minority side, but it boils down to those who believe in devolution against those who do not believe in it. Many of the challenges that this Country is currently facing, I want to believe if people were as accommodative and tolerant to the views of others as the Members who sat in this Mediation Committee are, we would not even be having the kind of altercation we are having politically in this country. Mr. Deputy Speaker Sir, earlier on, we had a discussion here and we were debating about Cabinet Secretaries who, for some reason, want to believe that they cannot be summoned to Parliament. I am grateful because the Chair gave a very firm and resounding ruling that if anybody thinks that this is child’s play, being invited to appear before a Committee in Parliament, then let them fail to attend and know there will be consequences. I look forward to that time because one of the things that Parliament must always do is that any particular time we feel there is no respect to the rule of law and order, we are duty bound as a House to ensure that we go in with all the energy, skills, knowledge that we have to ensure that we restore order. I support the initiative that we have taken as a House even to consider legal action against certain Bills that have been assented into law by the Executive without following the proper procedure. Take for example the Health Law Amendment that was assented to. This is one of the major contentions that this House has against the National Assembly. In that particular Bill, it will be shocking for Kenyans to know that now the Ministry of Health is proposing that the Pharmacy and Poisons Board the legally mandated institution that permits and gives licenses to marketers and sellers of drugs into this country to carry out their operations will now do the work that is supposed to be done by National Quality Control Laboratory. They are being merged into one. You can imagine a situation where you are a marketer, you are granted the license then the same institution is the one that gives you the Certificate of Approval to confirm that the drug that you are selling to Kenyans is fit for human consumption. What a risk that we are exposing the citizens of this country to. We have promised Kenyans that next week as Senate we are going to the Supreme Court for arbitration. We cannot afford even an extra day because some of these laws if allowed to pass are endangering the lives of Kenyans. We are a country that worships money on many occasions. There are people who will be paid to look the other way and allow Kenyans to consume drugs that are not fit for human consumption. It would not be the first time. If we were taking sugar that was laced 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."
}