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{
    "id": 127055,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/127055/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 407,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "3346 Ms. Karua",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me an opportunity to support this Bill. I want to commend hon. Ethuro and to say that what the National Assembly has failed to initiate in the last 40 something years has finally been initiated by this Private Member’s Bill. Section 16 of the Constitution is clear; that, there shall be such offices of Ministers of the Government of Kenya appointed by the President as may be established by Parliament or subject to any provision made by Parliament. The President has been establishing Ministries without any provisions made by Parliament. That is why we have been having varying numbers of Ministries at different times. The current number of 42 is the most bloated Cabinet we have had since Independence. This Bill will end that by providing for the specific number of Ministries. I have been looking at the proposed Clause 3 and I think that Clause 3(2) ought to give a free hand to the Government of the day to determine the names of the Ministries. Yes, there should be a guide that is there in the schedule; if a Government comes in, it will stick to the number provided by Parliament, but will want to cluster the Ministries differently according to its policies, we should have that leg room. I am persuading the Mover, that at the Committee Stage, we look at this to ensure that there is enough leg room for the Government of the day to see how to cluster Ministries. This Bill sets out that the number of Ministries should not exceed 24. If you look at the definition of Ministers in the Constitution, you will see that they include Assistant Ministers. Therefore, this Bill will see to it that Kenya does not have more than 24 Members of the Executive sitting in Parliament. Parliament is made up of 222 MPs, and ex-officio MPs, but it should not be executive heavy. In this Parliament almost half of its Members are Members of the Executive. That undermines the independence of Parliament and no wonder, Parliament appears in most occasions to be toothless. This Bill will put a stop to that. I have heard contributions from other Members about the constitutional review that is going on. This Bill is talking about today and not tomorrow. It is remedying the situation as our Constitution is today. The Constitution provides for Ministers to be appointed from among Members of Parliament. We shall cross the bridge of whether we should have Ministers appointed outside Parliament when we are dealing with the new constitution. However, noting from the outcry of Kenyans and also the economic circumstances a majority of Kenyans are undergoing, and I dare say, harsh economic circumstances, there is an urgent need to trim the current bloated Cabinet. That can only happen with the passage of this Bill. I have heard an hon. Member lament about the bloated Cabinet and absolve one of the Coalition partners of blame for the bloated Cabinet. This is a fallacy. Each Coalition partner provided 21 Members of Cabinet. That means that they have consciously entered into a coalition with a bloated Cabinet. Any Member of the Coalition, or any side that did not want very many Ministers could have given fewer cabinet members. Just as we have seen the President and the Prime Minister go together to make the necessary changes in the police force, they could as well get together and trim the Cabinet. But because both are not willing, it is incumbent upon this Parliament to pass this legislation so that we can force the necessary steps to be taken. We can also arrest the situation in future, where any other President or Head of Government can come and burden Kenyans with a bloated Cabinet."
}