Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 110033,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/110033/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 367,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Ruto",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, today, we are about to install a super imperial presidency with very weak systems of checks and balances. The institution of the Presidency has actually, systematically run down all the institutions. It is the Presidency that has over the years, perpetuated the culture of patronage and, therefore, bred corruption and impunity to levels that are unmatched. Today, we are about to install a super-imperial Presidency. This, in my view, is a negation of what Kenyans have been looking for. That could be mitigated if we were able to put in place institutions of checks and balances. These institutions of checks and balances include an improved Parliament and a strong Senate that is capable of ensuring that this Presidency does not ride over the rest. We have also been asking for devolution. Resources have been over-concentrated at the centre and that has been used by the institution of the Central Government to perpetuate the same misallocation of resources; lopsided development. That is why we are saying that we must have proper institutions that will take care of devolved funds. If you look at the Bomas Draft, all the views of Kenyans had been gathered by a review commission that went round the country. That information is available. In fact, that particular Committee of Experts (CoE) utilized that information and came up with the first draft. The Harmonized Draft was closest to what Kenyans asked for. Unfortunately, in our hurry, we came up with a review act that allowed the CoE to start receiving text messages, e-mail, letters and presentations at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC). I am not certain that the presentation of the CoE reflected the entire Kenyan population. We are aware that 95 per cent of Kenyans cannot even communicate via e-mail. When we are told that the e-mails and text messages which the CoE received was used to change the Harmonized Draft, which drastically changed the character of what we have been asking for since Bomas of Kenya, is a let-down to Kenyans. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, when we were in Bomas of Kenya, we had talked of devolution all the way to the location but now we are ending it at what is called a county, which is about three or four constituencies. We are moving further away from the people. At the moment, even the national Budget for this year, devolved funds to the constituencies amounted to Kshs250 million which in my rough calculation amounts to about 10 per cent, if you have to conglomerate the entire lot. There is a lot of money now going to the constituencies as devolved funds. This Constitution intends to take all that back to the counties and bring them to Nairobi. I accept the counties as a basis of devolution but we must also have another institution called either a provincial government or a regional government. I am aware that there are some chauvinists who"
}