Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1283591,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1283591/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 306,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Seme, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) James Nyikal",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Bill. I want to do three things. One, appreciate the good intentions of this Bill. Two, throw caution on the urgency with which this Bill is coming. Three, the combination of the Sugar Bill coming now and the memorandum on commercialisation of sugar industries. You got it wrong if you see those things separately. These things are connected. Having said that, this Bill has good intentions because the Government needs to divest from the private sector. That is known. However, we also need to get the private sector to invest in important ventures for the Government. As the Leader of the Majority Party showed, we have had examples when some companies like the Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation were privatised. That seems to have worked. We realised it was a progression of the Act of 2005 that did not work. We must then ask ourselves why that did not work. We still need to protect public funds invested in ventures. Members of Parliament should have a say in this. This Bill provides that but limits the contribution of Members of Parliament to it. That is something about which we should be cautious. The Bill also creates a Privatisation Authority. Then, we must ask ourselves why the Privatisation Commission failed. Now, we are bringing in the Privatisation Authority. What is different? I see no difference except the intentions. I believe the Government bringing this now has better intentions than the one which brought the Bill last year. The Privatisation Authority is to advise the Government on the implementation of privatisation programmes. It is also to put limitations on privatisation programmes. It also provides for the identification of privatisation programmes. It states the criteria for who is going to be involved in these programmes. All that is very good, and I appreciate that. The Bill also provides for agreement and appeal processes and the handling of proceeds. I also accept that is a good thing. However, I worry. I hope this Bill will also not be used to get people close to the Government to acquire what is now public property for a song. The Leader of the Majority Party talked about government. I wish he could hear me. I once gave him a definition of “government,” but I do not see the difference. As much as there are government structures in place and elected Members, eventually, the government is the President and the people that he listens to, whether they are in official government positions or not. I fear that this might…"
}