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{
    "id": 1224059,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1224059/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 208,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "This is a very important Statement by Sen. Oketch Gicheru. Forget about the details of the Statement, some of which I feel are matters that are up for debate. He brings to the fore an important conversation that we need to have as a country because of this sudden shift in policy. I feel that the involvement of this particular office in the liaison of the diplomatic and consular missions has been misunderstood by many in the media and many in the public discourse. I saw the memo just like the rest of the citizens and I have taken time to try and understand the complexity that perhaps Government found. I know you know this for a fact and even Sen. Oketch Gicheru knows, the Office of the Deputy President does not exist as an office on its own. It exists as an office in the Presidency. Part of its jurisdictional authority is in the coordination of government functions, part of which includes coordination of diplomatic duties and such like matters. However, it will be important if this House is furnished with part of the information which Sen. Oketch Gicheru wants. That is whether the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs was committing or omitting part of what is expected of them in their duties or raison d'etre that this policy position was made. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I have seen verbally because this conversation has been going on for a while. I have seen it online. I believe it is the Principal Secretary (PS) in this office that said it was becoming increasingly difficult for the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs to keep up with the visiting delegations to the country. As such, it has left many of their staff to be shuttling between Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and the city. On most occasions, they are left ill or worse prepared catching up with conversations. Mr. Speaker, Sir, you will find a technical team visiting from a country that is friendly to our nation. Since the delegation is high ranking, it means that the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs is mostly involved. For example, the technical team could be visiting the Ministry of Water and Sanitation, which is the line or specific Ministry that they were coming to transact with. However, their interactions will be limited only to the time that they have in office. We know that when we visit other capitals of the world, our interactions run through the length and depth of formal and informal meetings. If that is what they intend to achieve because I have heard that conversation with them, then it better be spelt out so that this House - which is one of the instruments of oversight on the Executive can fully be appraised. The rest of the details that Sen. Oketch Gicheru is looking at will be answered once that cardinal question is responded to. I thank you and appreciate Sen. Oketch Gicheru for bringing this matter to the House so that we can have a conversation about it. I look forward to the answer that will come from the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs. I thank you"
}