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{
    "id": 1078499,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1078499/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 21,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ugenya, MDG",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. David Ochieng",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2955,
        "legal_name": "David Ouma Ochieng'",
        "slug": "david-ouma-ochieng"
    },
    "content": " Hon. Speaker, I did not intend to speak on this matter, but Hon. Duale has talked about something. The same Constitution says the President and governors must have degrees. So, we are just extending this provision to make sure that those who come to this House do not stay here for four years without saying anything. There are Members who stay in this House for five years without saying anything and claim to be working on the ground. Our first and foremost duty as Members of this House is to debate in this Chamber, to legislate and bring Bills, not to work on the ground. In fact, if in future we want to make this Parliament robust, then we should take CDF away, so that Members take time on this Floor to debate as a people. People talk about veteran Members like James Orengo, Gitobu Imanyara and Martin Shikuku. They had no CDF. They spent their time on this Floor, made their contributions and did so well for the country. Here we spend so much time following CDF and how much money has been released. We do not pay time to debate. That is why some Members say: “ Wacha Wajaluowazungumze Kizungu kwa Bunge”, as we work on the ground.” It is not about Kizungu. It is about being able to interact with the tools that we use in this House. If someone has not gone to school, how will he use this iPad? How will he be able to login and interact with the proceedings? One is supposed to login into the system, go to House business and check what is there before contributing. If you cannot do that, then we are wasting people’s time. Above all, if we are to interfere with the law, then this Parliament will stand indicted. We have deferred it very many times. This time we must put our feet down. If there is any Member in this House who thinks that he is going to convince others… More than 70 per cent of Members now have degrees. If you do not have, this is the time to ensure that you get one. If you do not get one, then wait for 2027. We cannot keep going back and forth. Hon. Speaker, you observed the other day that some Members, instead of engaging with reports, they want to engage with witnesses who appear before Committees because they have nothing useful or useless to add to what is happening in Parliament. So, much as the petitioners have a right to bring a petition, I want to request the Committee concerned not to waste time on this matter. There are more serious business to be looked into. IEBC has not given us a report on how they intend to conduct elections in the next one year. The Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs should find out how prepared IEBC is to conduct elections, not these small matters of degrees and what-not. Let those matters be run by the universities. It is not our business to start asking people to go to school when they very well know that the reason Presidents Kenyatta, Moi, Kibaki and Uhuru have spent so much money on education is so that our children are able to participate in national development. So, this is a matter that requires the Committee to spend only a week. Let us give the petitioners a report within next week and deal with better things. Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker."
}