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"id": 1065493,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1065493/?format=api",
"text_counter": 122,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Narok North, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Richard ole Kenta",
"speaker": {
"id": 420,
"legal_name": "Richard Moitalel ole Kenta",
"slug": "richard-moitalel-ole-kenta"
},
"content": "I remember one time when we went to welcome Hon. Raila Odinga at the airport, the kind of death that we witnessed on the streets of Nairobi is something that should never be repeated. So, when they came together, my people and community at large realised that time for them to stand with these people is now. Why do I say that? These are the two giants of the Kenyan political scene that can bring this country together. When they brought this initiative, there was public participation. The Kenyan people agreed with them and several issues were brought to the fore that have been terrorising this country. I am shocked when I hear my colleague say that there was no consultation. As far as I am concerned, this team went all over the country. Unfortunately, some of the Kenyans decided to boycott the hearings. So, one cannot boycott a hearing and claim that they were not part of the process. I think this is not the right thing to do and is hypocritical. There are many issues and I would like to go to the substance of the amendments. One of them is the extra 70 constituencies and Narok is getting three. We are supporting this because of increased resources which will assist our people. The only problem is that the people of Narok must decide for themselves the boundaries of the constituencies and how they want to be governed. Nowadays, there is a tendency of people from elsewhere coming and curving for themselves areas to contest at the expense of the local people. I think the most important thing is that the local people’s interests must be taken care of. So, if anybody believes that they can disenfranchise the people of Narok or anywhere else, they will not be fostering peace, but creating a situation of bad blood and eventually flare up crashes which have stopped since 2007. I would like to caution that as we create these constituencies, let them be for the ordinary local people and no other people. Looking at these constituencies, Narok has three and some counties have six. Yet, those with six want to take what others have. For example, if we have three in Narok, they want to take one or two. So, where will the local people be left? If you go to Kajiado, they also have three, which they want to deny the local people. Then, they will go to Eldoret and do the same thing. So, how do we foster peace as far as this is concerned? I support, but it must be an initiative for the local people. This is an opportunity for the marginalised people, the disabled, women and others. For example, the Maasai have been marginalised since Independence and now they have a chance to play a bigger role in issues affecting this country politically, economically and socially. I believe when it comes to employment, we should ensure that every community, as long as somebody is qualified, gets an opportunity to serve this country. Then there will be no reason for any misunderstanding. Let us be honest that it destroys a country the moment there is an employment opportunity and the same names appear in all the opportunities. This creates a situation where some communities feel left out. Therefore, we must realise that we are equal as far as this is concerned. So, when we talk about cohesion, it is important to ensure that the Constitution protects the people equally. We can make a Constitution and if there is no goodwill from the leadership to ensure what we do is constitutional, then it will be meaningless. Of importance is the implementation of all things that benefit all Kenyans and not necessarily a particular section. We have talked about peace and it can only be there if there is justice and fair play. For example, in the last elections, there was a clear manifestation of rigging where people were deciding they want to elect so and so and somebody else manipulated computers and made his own appointments. So, to avoid such situations, we must ensure that the electoral process is fair, just and the choice of the people is respected and not the choice of political appointees. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}