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{
    "id": 1211455,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1211455/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 165,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kilifi North, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Owen Baya",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "to amend the supreme law in the memorandum that the President has brought to Parliament. He says, in his memorandum, that these are his ideas. In this general debate, I would like to go straight to the issues raised. On the issue of two-thirds gender rule, this country has grappled with it in Parliament for many years. Hon. Aden Duale and Hon. Chepkong’a tried to do that in the 11th Parliament and there has been, for many years, attempts to try to get the two-thirds gender rule passed. I know many Members, even some who speak negatively about it, know that we have a constitutional obligation to ensure that we achieve the two-thirds gender rule. The Supreme Court of this country, during the leadership of former Chief Justice Maraga, actually said that Parliament was illegally constituted because it did not comply with the two-thirds gender rule. We have an opportunity, as Members of Parliament and makers of law, to change the Constitution and any other law that is here so that we can achieve the two-thirds gender rule as prescribed by the Constitution. The President is giving us ideas that we need to look at to ensure that we achieve the two-thirds gender rule. I would like to request this House of Parliament to consider the views as provided to see whether it is possible for us to achieve this very important milestone that is in the Constitution. I support that we need to move to that threshold to actualize the two-thirds gender rule in this Parliament. On the Office of the Leader of Opposition, you know, the Opposition in this country is like a headless chicken trying to find where to go. They are holding public barazas all over trying to provide leadership and bring ideas. I hear that tomorrow they will be at the offices of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to hold prayers outside the door. If they had an opportunity to be in this House, that leadership would bring those ideas here on how to drive this country forward instead of going to marketplaces and trying to get ideas out there. Where change can come and laws can be changed, it is in this House and this is where we need the leaders of Opposition so that whatever they are discussing out there in the marketplaces and in all those other places can be brought to this august House for us to discuss and have this country move forward instead of always looking for an opportunity to go out there and disturb the peace of the country just because they want to speak. We want to give them an opportunity to speak, give ideas and oppose the Government in this House. We want them in this House so that we can have a sober debate for them to listen to other people and also for Kenyans to listen to them. They get the monopoly of being listened to when they go to Kamukunji or Embakasi. They have the monopoly just being listened to and there is nobody to reply or respond. We want to respond to them here formally in this House. That is why we want the leader of the Opposition here so that when he speaks we can be able to respond to him. Hon. Temporary Speaker, issues of accountability are very important. In this country, we have suffered deficiency of accountability for many years. This is because a chairman of a committee brings a report that cannot hold water. A Cabinet Secretary does not feel responsible for that report. He only allows it to come to this House, it is delivered here, and nobody questions its contents. If questions are raised, he delegates the responsibility to respond to a junior officer who then writes a report to bring to Parliament. We are saying we would like Cabinet Secretaries to be responsible. We vetted and approved the appointments of Cabinet Secretaries in this House. They must be accountable to this House. That is why we want them here. If our Standing Orders can be tweaked to provide an opportunity for Cabinet Secretaries to come here, even for one hour, to respond to the questions that we raise, no Cabinet Secretary would joke with Parliament. He will not at any one time issue a statement here in Parliament for which he cannot fulfil. That is why we need Cabinet Secretaries to come to this House. We saw the saga on the NG-CDF. I was in Mombasa and I took the brunt of it but if the Cabinet Secretary were to come here to respond to our concerns, I do not think he would 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."
}