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{
    "id": 1376259,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1376259/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 144,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Kavindu Muthama",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13733,
        "legal_name": "Agnes Kavindu Muthama",
        "slug": "agnes-kavindu-muthama"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for this opportunity to contribute to this document. I commend the team that came together, sat and compiled this Report. The only issue I will raise is about two-thirds gender rule. This is an issue that has been troubling Kenyans for a long time. It is not easy for any woman to go out there and get a seat. It takes a lot of strength for a woman to vie with men and get a seat. One has to build a very thick skin because of the bullying that we get from men, to stand against the abusive words from men. I am not happy that this two-thirds gender rule was dropped from the Report, remembering that when the President was campaigning, he promised women that it would be 50-50 per cent and not two-thirds. That was not the right thing to drop. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the issue of the position of the Leader of Opposition is long overdue. I was in the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) and we recommended in that Report that we should have that position, complete with its shadow cabinet and fully funded by the Government, so that there are checks and balances in the Executive by the Opposition Leader. I am happy about it as well. Another issue we had recommended in the BBI was on the Members of the County Assemblies (MCAs) receiving Kshs20 million to work without pleading and begging for mercy from governors. Right now, Senators have received their oversight fund, Women Representatives have the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) and Members of Parliament (MPs) have the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF), but the MCAs have been left out. I expected this to be in this Report because, in the BBI Report, we had recommended it. Mr. Speaker, Sir, like the two of the Senators who spoke before me have stated, this Report should be held a bit for the gender issue, the MCAs Ward Development Fund (WDF) and any other thing that has been left out to be considered. I am not happy about the cost of living because it is very high."
}