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{
"id": 1381342,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1381342/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale",
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"speaker": {
"id": 170,
"legal_name": "Bonny Khalwale",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. This is a very serious national problem. I remember a case in Malinya of Mzee Moody Magoyi from Bukusi Village. This is a man who never missed a weekend, coming to my home to remind me about his pension. He is a guy who had spent all his productive years working for the Kenya Railways and his pension never came to him. That was under the case of the defunct local authorities, which according to the statistics from NSSF, the defunct local authorities owe NSSF Kshs1.8 billion and the current devolved governments owe NSSF Kshs2.7 billion. On the word of the Kenyan Union of County Governments officials, they are owed from unremitted amounts, a whopping Kshs41.2 billion. Mr. Speaker, Sir, these are people who are in their 70s. They are helpless. Even if they were to stand in a village baraza, nobody wants to listen to them. So, they need this Senate to advance their case. Mr. Speaker, Sir, so that we do not miss it, it is very unfortunate that the cash transfer to the aged members of the society is working. Some of those people never did anything in terms of formal employment for the country. However, the people who actually did formal employment and made their own contribution, governors are today enjoying that money, making trips to go to I do not know where. They go to South Africa, buy flashy vehicles and all manner of wrong things. We must stamp our foot down. A paper has just been circulated by the Senator for Kiambu that we request a small change in the Standing Orders so that governors can face the authority of this whole House. I was not for it, but when I reflect on it, I think it would be nice for some of these funny governors who became governors by accident. Governors must never be elected outside the political elite. It is only leaders who choose to go into politics that have feeling for the people. However, when you get some professionals in Nairobi, for instance a manager of A, B, C, D and then becomes a governor, he does not have the feel of the people. It is only politicians who feel it when they see a child being sent home for Kshs20. Politicians understand, but a manager from a blue chip company who has been in Nairobi all his life and then ends up as governor in Migori County, has no idea that those realities do take place on the ground. Mr. Speaker, Sir, if we expedite these simple payments like the money due for NHIF, these people will be paid. If you have never had a patient of cancer, ask me. My wife passed on because of cancer and it can be extremely expensive, so expensive that, that NHIF card used to mean more to me than the money I would get from elsewhere. I would take it to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and quickly my wife’s bill was sorted out. We were spending Kshs300,000 per week. Therefore, we must stand behind these good people of ours and insist----"
}