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{
    "id": 1196284,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1196284/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 286,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Busia County, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Catherine Omanyo",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Hey! It has been a long day. Thank you for staying put and listening to some of us because sometimes we think our voices are not valid. I support this Motion strongly, a million times. The village elders of where I come from are called ligurus . They know each household, each home. And if there can be any term that can be well defined as bottom-up, then we have to start with the village elders when it comes to governance. They exercise true servant leadership or stewardship. Anything that the Chief and the Assistant Chief know, they get it from village elders. The village elders have intelligence. Without the village elders, the government will not run properly. When there is insecurity or when we have a thief or a rapist in the community, village elders know whose son it is and so forth. I just looked at this Motion and my heart was already beating. I hope the CS put in charge of that area will consider having a budget for the ligurus or village elders so that they are given their rights. One cannot be working 24 hours a day without time off and remuneration. Anything can happen in the village at midnight yet they are up to help out without any gadget, help or salary. It is difficult to run anything in such kind of environment. They are very influential yet they have limited education. Their word is very strong there. Actually, they are an example of somebody who can lead, influence, and give direction without papers. Now I understand why some people lead but they have no degrees. People have been suffocating buying papers and degrees and yet we have examples of good leaders in the village who do not have those papers. They shape communities. I beg that we do not eat our own people by using them and risking their lives. If a rapist or a murderer knows that it is so-and-so who reported me, those people will be at risk. It is good to also put something small in the budget for village elders across our nation. It is also good to give them uniforms because I see them looking just like anybody. You can easily slap a village elder because he is not in proper uniform. A uniform symbolises authority, or simply tells somebody where they belong. They can give village elders the uniforms that were taken away from the Administration Police. I see the Administration Police in blue uniforms. Where did the other coloured uniforms go? They can give those ones to village elders. Thank you."
}