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{
    "id": 1214713,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1214713/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 132,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ugunja, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Opiyo Wandayi",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " I am saying this for the record. Let me contribute to this Motion by saying all I have said before concerning this matter stands. For the avoidance of doubt, I do not think it was necessary for a communique or a communication of the sort we are dealing with in this Motion to come to this House in the manner it did. The House had commenced to work on the NG-CDF and the other Funds on its own motion. There was no further need for any prompting. My position on the NG-CDF and the other Funds, including NGAAF, has been very clear. That, indeed, we need to entrench those Funds in the Constitution. That is the position of my coalition because of the clear benefits accrued from the Funds to our people everywhere in the country. Coming to the creation of the position of the Leader of Official Opposition, I still maintain and hold the view that the approach we are taking is not proper. My position has been that if, indeed, we think the time is right for reviewing the Constitution – which I strongly believe it is – then we must take a holistic view of the Constitution of Kenya 2010. That is because it is now more than 12 years since its promulgation in 2010. It is indeed right for a review, but we cannot do it through cherry-picking or patch work. That will not be proper. I have also asked many times - and I have gotten no answers - as to what we want to achieve by creating this position of the Leader of Official Opposition whilst retaining intact the structure that we have currently, which is purely presidential. What, for instance, will be the role of the Leader of Official Opposition vis a vis the Leader of the Minority Party? Nobody is giving me any answers. I said and I still want to repeat that we must choose what we want to do; that is agreeing to abolish this presidential system and go the parliamentary route; or retain this presidential system with all its attributes without attempting to create a mongrel in the name of amendments to the Constitution. We cannot, as Kenyans, continue to appear as if we do not know what we want and yet, we really know what we want. The third matter is amending the Standing Orders of the National Assembly to allow CSs to come before the full House and answer questions from Hon. Members of Parliament. I have said this time and again that, you cannot do that by merely amending the Standing Orders. That would go to the core of Article 255 of the Constitution. Any time you bring an extra person not contemplated under the Constitution to be in this House under whatever guise, you are interfering with the functions of Parliament. You are compelled, under Article 255 of the Constitution to undertake an amendment through a referendum. There are no two ways about it. It is not rocket science. Any plain reading of the Constitution will tell you that you have no two ways about it. So, what is this rush then to try to bring CSs to the House through the backdoor? What is it that is not working now that you want to cure? We have been in this House under this Constitution for the last 10 years. What is it that is not working with our committee system that you want to cure through these backdoor changes? What is it? Nobody has told me. This is not politics. We know very well where to play politics. I tell Members who are here to listen to me very keenly. If we go this route, you will come to regret. We cannot open up this House to strangers, in parliamentary parlance. When the CS for the National Treasury comes to read the Budget speech, he does so under very clear terms and arrangements. However, it is not right to allow every other CS to be thronging this House every other day purporting to answer questions from Members."
}