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{
    "id": 1181340,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1181340/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 19,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kesses, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Julius Rutto",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Therefore, I want to say that this is a serious matter that requires a weighty discussion. I implore the Public Petitions Committee to take this issue back to Kenyans. Kenyans are the authors of the supreme law of this country, the Constitution. We are now 10 ten years since the implementation of the Constitution and, we, therefore, know the pros and cons of the same. Therefore, it is up to Kenyans to decide if they are willing to re-introduce the superior offices to accommodate the losers. The Committee needs to get the feelings of Kenyans because there are some people who feel that after every election, those who end up losing feel like they are not part and parcel of the Government. Personally, I feel that we are facing a challenge of the cost of funding these particular offices since they come with hefty cost, staffing and resources to manage them, thus it will be a debate and it has to go back to Kenyans who will then give us direction. On the just concluded elections, those of us who were on the side of the majority party, won on the promise we made to Kenyans that we did not intend to expand the wage bill. Thus, if you look at this Petition, we have to listen, internalise and try to understand what point the Petitioner wants to drive home. This will help us not to lock out the Petitioner before we get to know their point. We all know that today we could be on this side and tomorrow on the other side. Therefore, let us look at the advantage of this Petition, but not forget that we should not subject the country back to the previous times where we spent much on administration than service delivery. Kenyans are suffering. There is drought in the country, a disease that we need to look at and a lot of expectations from Kenyans. Kenyans expect that this Constitution should serve them and not just the top leadership. We, therefore, need to look at other ways of ensuring that on matters of development, all parts of the country feel that they are part and parcel of the Government of the day. When such questions come in, a section of the country feels that until and when they have their own representative in top leadership, they are not part of the Government. That should not be case. The winner at any given time, by virtue of a proper election like the one we did the other day, should ensure that he or she serves Kenyans equally. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker for that opportunity."
}