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{
    "id": 1067699,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1067699/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 219,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ndhiwa, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Martin Owino",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13449,
        "legal_name": "Martin Peters Owino",
        "slug": "martin-peters-owino"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. First of all, allow me to thank God for the gift of life such that I can stand here today to debate on this important amendment Bill. Also, I want to thank God for the two statesmen, President Uhuru Kenyatta and my party leader, Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga, who have committed themselves and resolved to make this country become and remain productive and prosperous. A word of wisdom has it that you cannot solve a problem if you do not understand it. That is what we are considering in this House. We cannot allow Kenyans to kill themselves during every election through bullets and machetes, maim themselves, some are displaced and some suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for years because of elections. This amendment Bill is trying to correct that, so that we can remain peaceful even after elections. Freedom of association is in the Constitution. I remember vividly after the 2017 Elections my party leader wanted to address concerned members of the public. We went to a field in Eastlands only to find out the whole field was pasted in faeces and human waste. You wonder when that became a security tool. The second point I want to raise, because other Members have belaboured so many others, is that when Members will be taken from this House to serve as cabinet secretaries, accountability does not refer to them being called here like we currently do with cabinet secretaries. The first employers of every Member of Parliament are the constituents. I remember during Moi’s time, there was the very famous ‘one o’clock bulletin” where you could either be fired or appointed as a minister. However, if a Member was fired, he or she could thank the President because he or she stood with their conscience and did what was right. He or she would thank the President knowing very well that their employers still remained. With the new Constitution, that safety net was removed. Therefore, all cabinet secretaries and appointees work at the whims of the President. That kind of boldness died with the previous Constitution. This House will bring back that sanity. That will save a lot of resources because cabinet appointees will not be afraid. One can go back to their constituency and still stand for what they believe in. That is very important. The third point which will help in accountability is that this House will have an empowered and operational opposition wing. The opposition will have an office and will stand tall to keep the Government in check. That is currently missing. Currently, we can only summon cabinet secretaries through our committees and sometimes they do not come or they instead send chief administrative secretaries. It is very frustrating for the House. As I said, the problem and the time-bomb are the youth in this country. The amendment Bill clearly states that there will be a commission which will address priority-setting for the youth. It will also address career development and guidance, so that when the youth finish school, they can be employed. It will also address capacity-building, but more so, entrepreneurship, so that the youth can be guided to set up businesses. There will be a moratorium on payment of taxes so that they only do so after seven years. The time for white-collar jobs is gone. For us to help our youth, we have to embrace skill-based training and set up institutions in our rural areas. Another important point mentioned in the Bill is the economy and shared prosperity. Currently, there is a discrepancy in development between rural and urban areas. Things are so skewed that some regions are more developed while others are not. We talk of highways which are for the national good. However, if I can drive nicely in Nairobi yet the people of Ndhiwa cannot even transport their cane from the farms to the factory, how does that help our country? The amendment Bill will bridge some of those gaps. 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."
}