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{
    "id": 1475413,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1475413/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 194,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Funyula, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Ojiambo Oundo",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. I sincerely thank our colleagues who have stood in for us during this long odious battle to save the lives of the people of Kenya. I attended the judgement session on that Friday. We left with heavy legs and hearts. I can see that my friend with whom I was at the court. I felt that the judgement was extremely unfair on the tone, the wording and even the way the three judges dispensed of the matter. I want to tell the people of Kenya very candidly that the import of the judgement was that a constituency is not a service delivery centre. That means a person who votes in a constituency is simply a voting machine whose voice cannot be heard in the eyes of the judicial officers. They simply said that they only recognise the counties and not the constituencies. In their own words, a constituency is merely a centre of representation but not a centre of service delivery. Therefore, the people of Funyula Constituency, for example, cannot come together or go anywhere to demand development. They will be told that by virtue of that judgement, they have no locus standi to demand development, irrespective of whether they have a right to demand any development. I want to take the judges through history. We used to have the District Focus for Rural Development Programme, which was intended to address the issue of inequitable distribution of resources in this country. Up to now, there are parts of this country which have never seen piped water. If it were not for the NG-CDF, many parts of this country would not even have a classroom. We want to appeal to the Judiciary not to live in an ivory tower. Come down and realise how bad things are. Come down and see the importance of the NG-CDF. Compare the development impact of the NG-CDF with that of county governments during the 12 years of devolution that we have had. Let us do a comparative analysis. It does not require anybody to do anything. You simply have to appreciate it. At times, judicial activism must be laced with public policy and public interest. I want to urge our colleagues that the time to lament is gone. We must save the people of Kenya from those busy bodies wherever they are."
}