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{
    "id": 1083834,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1083834/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 191,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nyatike, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Tom Odege",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13459,
        "legal_name": "Tom Mboya Odege",
        "slug": "tom-mboya-odege"
    },
    "content": "the better part of my working life. When I see a worker being oppressed, I really feel it. This is because we have come across a number of cases in this country where our own people become slaves in our own country. For instance, today we are talking about an investor. This investor we are talking about is a foreigner who has come to invest in our country. At the same time, the person is violating our laws in our own country and yet, no one is taking action on them. By not paying workers after getting a court order on the same, we ask ourselves: 'Do we have a government?' If we have a government, who is supposed to implement those court orders? If we do not implement them, then what do you expect from the workers? Can we allow them to take law into their hands and burn the factory? The answer is no. It means there is someone who is sleeping on the job. We cannot operate in a country where people think we do not have laws. We have enough laws to protect workers. Labour laws exist in this country. One of our colleagues here said that the trade unions – and he mentioned COTU- should do more. What do you expect a trade union to do on a company when a court order has been violated? When we reach that level, it is now beyond a trade union. It is now squarely with the Government. Therefore, if our railway workers got an award and the Government has not implemented that award using the laws that we currently have… We do not have any vacuum in law. The problem is that someone is sleeping on the job. I do not think it is right for this Parliament to entertain such kind of omissions in our country. Those foreigners will come and overpower us and we are going to be slaves in our own country. Therefore, I want to ask my colleague, the MP for Kwale that, where this thing has reached… We are discussing a case which is almost over 10 years now. After admitting this Report here today, there is need to look for an avenue to re-open this thing so that we deal with it. This is because if we allow such things to continue in our country, I can assure you foreigners will come into this country and yet the rate of unemployment is very high. Presently, you can be told in your own country: 'If you do not want, you can as well leave. We will get people from outside to come and do the job.' Then, they exploit our people because they are desperately looking for a job. This is an act which is not acceptable in our country, and especially when we are discussing in this House a Report which has been made by our own Committee, and which we are implementing in this House today. We know very well we are implementing a Report which is not reflective of what is happening outside there. I would request that the Member for Kwale should look for an opportunity to reopen this case so that we revisit it. I sit in the Committee on Labour and Social Welfare today. This case was in the Committee on Labour and Social Welfare in the previous Parliament. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, we might not have an opportunity to exploit it, but because of time, I thank you and support"
}