Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 1315985,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1315985/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 199,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tigania West, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) John K. Mutunga",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you Hon. Temporary Speaker for giving me the opportunity to also add my voice to this Motion. I would like to thank the Committee for the good work it has done in vetting those individuals and confirming that the President made the right choices in proposing their names. I also would like to appreciate the systematic manner in which our President has managed his Government and approached issues of appointments. I wish to note three things in this particular appointment. First of all, he has clearly and finely balanced the regional representation. The Kenya map is apparent in these appointments. The second thing is that he has clearly and carefully managed the age factor, which is mostly forgotten. Our youth, who are the majority, have been complaining about this. He has also carefully managed gender balance. The gender equation is well represented here. Ideally, we owe him a lot of gratitude. I would also like to caution those appointees. The former Member of Parliament for Igembe Central is a close friend and neighbour. This team needs to go through thorough and focused training. A training that will mould them into better diplomats who are going to represent our country better. Out there we have seen some diplomats who use some undiplomatic approaches and actions. I question most of the laws concerning diplomats. Hon. Members should remember that we are the ones who are looking at this list. We are the ones who vetted those nominees. We are the ones who meet them out there in those diplomatic circles and they do not respect us. So, they ought to realise that the one-Government approach should take centre stage. Hon. Temporary Speaker, there is also the issue of diplomats failing to support Kenyans in other countries. We travel to several countries and Kenyans complain that they do not have access to the ambassadors and they do not support them in what they do in those countries. In other cases, the ambassadors do not even know them or have sessions to meet with those Kenyans. I would like to caution these nominees to take Kenyans seriously and support them in whatever they are doing. Secondly, these nominees need to have the Kenyan context in perspective. They need to remember whom they represent. They are the representatives of His Excellency (Dr) Williams Samoei Ruto in those countries. The President is of impeccable character and knowledgeable. So, they need to be extremely knowledgeable. They need to assess what is happening in the country so that they can align it with what they do. This represents our country better. They also need to attract tourists and sell our products. The geographical indication is a key characteristic of what we sell out there. They need to note some of those issues and many others that are important to us as a country. Finally, those diplomats need to supervise other officers under them in the permanent missions. We have permanent representatives in many countries who operate as if they have their kingdoms. Those representatives need to report to them. Sometimes, when we go to The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}