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{
    "id": 1193619,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1193619/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 344,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Taveta, WDM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. John Bwire",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "published recently when this Motion was being debated. The title of the article was “Overjoyed Members of Parliament Retained Outlawed NG-CDF in the Constitution.” I think what we are suffering and why we are having the fight against the NG-CDF is purely a problem of perception of the NG-CDF, which is now perceived as pocket money for Members of Parliament. I say this is a problem of perception because we have so many funds in the county government and the national Government which are established by regulations, but we are forced as Members of Parliament to have this fund entrenched in the Constitution because of fear. This makes me think that if these people had the opportunity of declaring Members of the National Assembly unconstitutional, they would have done that. The fight is more against Members of Parliament than the NG-CDF Act itself. Just before I joined Parliament, I had an opportunity of appearing with you in a matter in Kilifi. As a young lawyer, you are one of the people who motivated me to vie in the election. I used to see the position of Member of Parliament as a lucrative one and has a national outlook. In addition to that, probably there is good renumeration. After interaction with Members of Parliament in this House, I can confidently say that some of them are moving loans because of the challenges they face on a day-to-day basis as they help their constituents. While seated here, I have paid school fees for 10 children in Taveta, three from Malukiloriti Secondary School, two from Eldoro Secondary School, one from Njukini Secondary School, and three from Timbila Secondary School. So, unless we do something about the NG-CDF, I am telling you, most of these Members of Parliament will be staying in Parliament not because they have no other activities outside Parliament, but running away from auctioneers. After interacting with Members of Parliament here, I know those who run to shylocks not because they want to take the loans, but because they want to pay school fees for their constituents in their villages. So, Hon. Temporary Speaker, my plea to you and to the leadership of the House is that even as we deliberate on the constitutionalisation of the NG-CDF, we should not even disburse the salaries of the Members of Parliament first. Let them disburse the NG-CDF before salaries because we have converted our salaries into NG-CDF. We are now paying school fees, hospital bills and ambulance services because there is no NG-CDF. Hundreds of students are out of school because of lack of the NG-CDF. I want to plead with us that even as we entrench it into The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}