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{
    "id": 1376256,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1376256/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 141,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wamatinga",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13582,
        "legal_name": "Wahome Wamatinga",
        "slug": "wahome-wamatinga"
    },
    "content": "I am fully aware that this country belongs to all of us despite our political inclination. It is very important that we start looking at the perennial issues that will come every five years and face this country, like we have never had an election before. The issue of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) must be decided with a sober mind. The issue of the two-thirds gender rule must also be decided. It is not lost to Kenyans that we need to have our sisters, mothers and daughters equally in power. At least, we must all appreciate that as it is currently, we have seven women governors who have not been appointed, but they went out there and fought to be elected. Some of them even floored very strong men. Moving forward, this is the spirit that we must encourage. We must have a fair playground for everybody. It is also not lost to me that we waste a lot of time trying to engage on things that we could have solved several decades ago. I find this Report a very good stepping stone to enable us handle issues, encourage ourselves, look at facts as they are and moving forward, conclusively solve them. It will be deceptive for us to say that the Report did not address the cost of living. It is known to everybody in this House that the Dollar, which has been skyrocketing, using its own dynamics, is now coming down. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we all know that the cost of living is a combination of several factors. One of them is the conducive environment where people work and the good outlook people have. Currently, with the intervention of the Government because of good rains and the subsidized fertilizers that we got, the cost of flour which was retailing at about Kshs300 the other day is now retailing at Kshs100 and is still going down. These are some of the things you can show on paper, but they can only be won by a combination of good policy, effective frameworks, accountability and governance. We should challenge ourselves as we sit in this House because this document gives us the ability to negotiate, address, relook and get a solution to most of the problems that we face in this country. This can happen if we come with utmost good faith. This can only happen if we stop looking at ourselves as them against us, and when we stop talking at each other and talk with each other. This country needs people and leaders who can bring a solution that the future generations will one day say, when the 13th Parliament met and when they had the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) Report, they provided a platform to build a solid country. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I commend the team that sat together despite their political differences and temperatures. This is a commendable document but is not a magical document but a platform upon which we can form the basis of future negotiations. Moving forward, everyone has learnt that there is no need to go to the streets, throw stones and get teargassed, and that we can change this country by simply having dialogue, talking to one another and deciding that this is the way we need to move forward. I support, Mr. Speaker, Sir."
}