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{
    "id": 1355406,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1355406/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 180,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Molo, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kuria Kimani",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for this opportunity. We all agree there is need for equality and equity in distribution of resources; that, we should not use our positions of power to enrich ourselves and families and should be very considerate of other Kenyans. Some of us have risen from being children of nobody to who we are today through provision of equal opportunities. That is why the spirit of the Conflict of Interest Bill should be applauded by everyone in this House. For example, yesterday, I met a young man I went with to the same high school. He told me he is an entrepreneur and for the last five years he has been checking the Kenya Gazette and filling tender documents. He has been able to earn a decent income for himself and his family by applying for these jobs. What would have happened to Wilson had those jobs been taken by influential government officials because that is possible? He would not be having an income to feed his family. Having said that, our colleagues have very well canvassed on the definition of relatives - sons and stepdaughters. The fact that you are related to me should not disadvantage you from doing any business. For some communities like the Luo and Luhya nation, everybody is a relative. They say this is my brother, sister or cousin. I am told that even for pastoralists a member of your clan is a relative. What crime has my brother committed by me being a Member of Parliament and whatever business he does? What crime have relatives of Cabinet Secretaries or Principal Secretaries, or whoever is in the public sector, committed to make them blacklisted to do any business with these people? Elections in this country have been highly divisive, almost making them a matter of life and death. We have had bloodshed in all the elections we have had for the last seven election cycles. We must sit down as a country and ask ourselves why it is very important for a particular community or people to feel that it must be their own at the helm of leadership. It is because for many years, sharing resources and positions was based on your closeness to particular people. That is why we need to do a very tricky balance. We need to fix this: that you do not need to be close to anybody to have a road in your constituency done. We are going to solve the divisive politics that we have in this country if you do not need to know anybody to have a job or to apply for a job with the Public Service Commission, the Teachers Service Commission, the Judicial Service Commission, the Kenya Defence Forces or the National Police Service Commission. In as much as we try to do that, we must make sure that we also do not demonise leadership. I had a conversation with some friends over the week and they were concerned that we are passing policies and decisions that demonise wealth creation. If you are a good businessman, you should be encouraged to make all the money you can legitimately make as a business person whether you are a Senator or whatever you do. As Hon. Muriu here said, the fact that I am the Member of Parliament for Molo does not take out the fact that I am a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). If I still carry out my consultancy or accounting services, the fact that I became a Member of Parliament does not mean I became stupid. It does not mean that I cannot continue to practice a profession I went to school to study for many years. In any case, as well elaborated here, some of these jobs are seasonal. The rate of turnover in this Parliament is more than 60 per cent at any particular time. So, you find some former Members of Parliament languishing in poverty because they stopped the trade they were doing before they 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."
}