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{
"id": 113908,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/113908/?format=api",
"text_counter": 254,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Dr. Mwiria",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology",
"speaker": {
"id": 190,
"legal_name": "Valerian Kilemi Mwiria",
"slug": "kilemi-mwiria"
},
"content": " Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to speak in support of the Speech by the President. I begin by agreeing with him that this Parliament has a rare opportunity to make history by concluding important matters that will, not only unify the country, but will contribute to accelerated growth. The two issues that were particularly important to him related to the Constitution and the fight against corruption. With regard to the Constitution, there is much more hope now than was the case in 2005 when the No-Vote won during the Referendum. If we go back to the problems of those days, we realize that part of the problem was that, that debate was personalized. It was either about Kibaki or Raila or various teams that were associated with them. It was about whether or not So and So would lose power and So and So would gain the power that has been lost. That time, there were also problems in that there was a big contest whether or not we needed to have a Prime Minister in addition to the President. Now, we have a Prime Minister and a President. So, again, some of the causes of that tension have been dealt with. More importantly, even those who were fighting in various camps are now working together. The people that represented various parties, namely, the Orange, KANU and the PNU are now actually working as one Government. If you look at the Vice-President and Minister for Home Affairs, the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Ministers and the Minister for Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs were all hardcore Orange people. They are in the same Government now. The Minister for Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs was the one who was against the Wako Draft. He has to push this current draft which is a good harmonization of the issues. So, the very fact that the main contenders are together is good enough reason for us to have hope of getting a new Constitution. We need to be very careful because Kenyans are likely to ask why we are uniting just because we are sharing the spoils of power and everything that goes with that power, but when it comes to uniting for the cause of the common Kenyan, we cannot unite. So, people will watch us very closely that we have united, we have big powers, many privileges as individuals and as politicians and the people in the Government, but when it comes to uniting for the course of the majority of the people of this country, we are not doing that. So, this is a good reason for us to be extremely careful about how the public is likely to perceive us. In this regard, therefore, it is up to the President and the Prime Minister to talk to their respective troops, convince them and give them no choice, but to speak together in one language for the sake of the people that they represent. Likewise, we have to be careful with the other forces outside Parliament and outside the political class that are causing trouble. They include religious leaders and the media. It is important to find a way of ensuring that they too, do not contribute to dividing as opposed to uniting Kenyans. That is why, even the debate that the clergy are bringing to this, we need to be very careful about the fact that even their own flock could give up on them if they are seen to be fighting the passing of a document that could lead to uniting the country. One of the greatest support that the media can give this process is to black out any politician who is divisive when it comes to the Constitution and other issues of national importance. If they can contribute that role, rather than publicizing the ones that are fighting a united country and a united stand on the Constitution, then they will also have made a more important contribution than when they highlight those divisions."
}