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{
    "id": 1062908,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1062908/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 558,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Saku, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Ali Rasso",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13473,
        "legal_name": "Dido Ali Raso",
        "slug": "dido-ali-raso"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I was worried that I was not going to speak. I want to join my colleagues in thanking you. On that Friday, I was driving to Marsabit listening to the President’s Speech. When I arrived in Marsabit, my constituents were asking me: “When are you going back and how will Parliament discharge its functions?” Like many of us have said before, there is Solomonic wisdom that this Government have in you that will help this country in many ways. This is one of the ways. You have caused this debate this afternoon so that by the end of it, we will pass a Motion that all of us will be settled that it is important for our country. Hon. Speaker, I will just talk on three issues. The first is about the health of this country. I have had the vaccination and a few of my colleagues have. Going forward, what the WHO and those advanced countries are saying is that we can only achieve the hard immunity when 60 per cent of the population is vaccinated. Yet, we are just talking about, I think less, than even 1 per cent. We are not doing well. The House will not only go on recess, but the committees must begin to work to make sure that we address the situation that this country is in. If the country is healthy, it can be wealthy. We cannot sacrifice health to achieve wealth. The second issue is the economy. If you have watched the news over the last two or three days and read the papers, it is clear that many of our people will lose their jobs. Many will be out there in the streets. Many will suffer in their homes. If the economy suddenly shuts down, as Hon. Kiarie has said, we will begin to feel that pressure as legislators. The people who used to afford medicine, food, transport and certain drugs will revert back to their Members of Parliament. That is a serious concern. During the committee sittings, we must ask ourselves and the departments that we oversee what they are doing to help the country face this pandemic. Finally, my third point is about the committees. As a House, we agree that we do not have to sit in plenary. The committee sittings must begin to be useful. We must address the issues of concern to our people. There are major departments like Treasury, Agriculture and Devolution that must begin to answer the hard questions on how Kenya can pull through this. With those few remarks, I thank you."
}