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{
    "id": 1217403,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1217403/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 684,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ainamoi, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Benjamin Lang’at",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Hon. Temporary Speaker, I heard you talk about how we intend to introduce to the House an Office of the Leader of Official Opposition in a presidential system. Is this also not the time for us to ask ourselves if we can change the system of government to parliamentary, where government can sit in Parliament and get questioned by the representatives of the people? As I said, I served in the 10th Parliament during which we had a very good parliament. If you wanted to question the Vice President or the Prime Minister on any matter, you would do so because they were seated right here. Even the then long serving Member for Othaya and former President would come and sit here as the Member of Othaya. Maybe, it is time we broadened this discussion to see whether we can look at other areas of the Constitution that require a review and amendment because the Constitution is created by Kenyans and it can be recreated many times. I would propose that either the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs or the Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee, or a special select committee that may be formed by this House, looks at the Constitution currently being implemented in its entirety and comes up with amendments with a view to improving it. Hon. Temporary Speaker, coming to the specific issues that have been proposed by the President, we are in a situation where the winner takes it all, especially in a presidential election. I do not see why somebody who got 10 million votes would have nothing to do in the Republic of Kenya. He has convinced 10 or 15 million Kenyans to vote for him and yet when he is not declared president, he just packs and goes home. I support the proposal to create some work for the runners-up in the presidential election. We must support the proposal for posterity. The problem we have in this country is that when we talk of the presidency, Members of the Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Alliance only think about William Ruto. When we talk about the Opposition, those of us on this side only think of Raila Odinga. We should look beyond the individuals and consider that person who has garnered 80 or 100 Members of Parliament in this House and yet he is outside by himself. We must amend the Constitution to state that Parliament shall comprise of the runners-up in the presidential election and their running mates. They can transact whatever business they want while seated in the House. We are currently facing a situation where for lack of something to do, somebody has organised for demonstrations in every city. There are demonstrations at Jeevanjee Gardens and Uhuru Gardens every day. If we have daily demonstrations from morning to evening, the cost of living will not come down. We must sit in the House and see how to lower the cost of living. Do we introduce subsidies? Are they in the budget? If not, where can we get the money from? Organising demonstrations from morning to evening will not help to lower the cost of living."
}