Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 932663,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/932663/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 345,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. M. Kajwang'",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13162,
        "legal_name": "Moses Otieno Kajwang'",
        "slug": "moses-otieno-kajwang"
    },
    "content": "years ago. It is probably time that the Senate, through a Motion, would revive this matter so that it is brought to a close. The issue of pending bills started immediately upon the advent of devolution. Counties like Nairobi started with billions of shillings in pending bills. This is because they started with a Kshs5 billion bank loan and overdraft facility which today, eight years down the line, has not moved from the original Kshs5 billion. All the money that we collect at Gikomba Market goes into servicing a loan that was taken to pay salaries, even before the advent of devolution. It is a ridiculous situation to have a Kshs5 billion loan. At some point, when we looked at the rate of interest on that loan, it was at 24 per cent, even in the era of interest rate controls. That is because the bank said that 14 per cent is the interest, and 10 per cent is a penal interest. You can imagine the Nairobi City County paying a quarter of Kshs5 billion every year to a bank or to a financial institution. We again need to provide leadership on this matter, so that we can free the people of Nairobi. Finally, is the issue of human resources. I had earlier on talked about the capacity assessment and rationalization programme that was initiated somewhere along the line. This was to ensure that for the staff who were amalgamated from the defunct local authorities, there can be clear job evaluation, job descriptions and so that we can weed out unnecessary staff. It is disappointing that the National Treasury, the Ministry of Devolution and ASALs, the Salaries and Remuneration Committee (SRC), and all those other bodies have chosen to organize a National Wage Bill Conference without any reference or invitation to the Senate. I will be finding out from the Clerk if, indeed, there was any invitation, because I believe that the Senate has developed some very deep expertise on issues of the wage bill and on employee matters across the 47 counties. It would be useful if the Senate was part of that conversation, so that we can come back and implement the necessary policies, regulations and legislation. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move that the Senate adopts these 26 Reports. I will ask Sen. Kibiru to second."
}