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{
    "id": 1202744,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1202744/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 165,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "as we continue to place Senate in its rightful place, we can convince Kenyans to vote in many women as Senators. Did we have four? I am being reminded that we had four last time, when we added Sen. Kavindu Muthama. It is actually a downgrade. It is something that should worry us, Senators. We now have only three elected Senators. Secondly, the President moved in to remind us about our duties as Members of Parliament (MP) where the nexus is drawn between us and the agenda that he has for the people. Of course, there was a moment of celebration because unlike in the past and I agree with him, that there was a paradigm shift in this election. Many of our colleagues were elected on the basis of promises that they gave to the electorate, more than just being party loyalists. You can see the decoration in terms of the many parties. We have Senators elected as independents and Senators such as Sen. Okiya Omtata who were elected on a party not aligned to any major coalition. Even in the two sides of the House, we have Senators elected on different political parties. This points to the maturity that Kenyan voters continue to show in every election. For a long time, we have always yearned for an issue based political contest. We hoped that at the end of the electoral process, one was able to point out the ideology that resonated mostly with the people of Kenya, to a point that they were able to agree with them and grant them leadership of the country. That is something celebrated and noted. It is something that we need be proud of and perhaps even grow. I believe that those who have been in political circles longer than I know that this Kenyan journey began from a single party state. For a long time, we journeyed through multipartyism and ensured people were voted in from as many parties as possible. We are now going to the next step. That even amongst us, you can be within a similar political party but represent a particular thinking that may not necessarily agree to the general view or common thinking amongst the people that you campaign with, and people will listen to you and grant you the opportunity to lead. That is something that was tested and proved during this election. The President also gave us his commitment. He read out something that was quite assuring. It is not every day that you hear the President speak the words and give the commitment to be loyal, hardworking, devoted and President for every Kenyan. This has been the testament. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, you have seen the President in one or two occasions visit regions that did not necessarily give him the sign of approval. They never voted for him but he wants to spread his message and ensure we build together, close ranks and have the political divide that existed before the election firmly behind us. It is assuring to hear the President speaking and engaging Kenyans. It is not an everyday occurrence to hear a President say that he will be for us all. Of course, the challenge to us, as the legislature, is to hold him to account. This is so that we ensure every government programme given is not skewed towards a particular region, so that some people feel as if they are lesser Kenyans than others. This is something that we shall hold the President to account."
}