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{
    "id": 147559,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/147559/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 329,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, we need to empower parliamentary contributions of Members by giving them facts and associating them with first hand problems on the ground. We need to empower our own contributions. As we all know, tomorrow is the Budget day. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance will come here and give us three hours of speech. However, we do not understand the challenges that this country is facing, region by region. Therefore, we will not be in a position to interrogate that Budget in a manner that will be meaningful to the country. We must get out of this business of routine. Since this Parliament was designed, times have changed. It is nearly 40 years down the road when this Parliament was designed. We still do not want to get out and take Parliament to the rightful owners who are the people of this country. If you listen to FM Stations, this Parliament has been categorised. It is called club 222. There is a belief of them against us; the Members of Parliament against the rest of the country. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, in order to stop that dangerous propaganda, I think we need to get out to the country and take Parliament to the people. Yes, Nairobi is the Capital City. I am not asking for the relocation of Parliament. I am only asking for our sessions to be done in Kajiado. What is wrong if we go to Kajiado and interact with the local community? The local Member of Parliament (MP) will receive us very well and we will all be there. That is part of Kenya. Why must it be in Nairobi all the time for five years? Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, similar situations have happened in Libya, where Parliament moves to the regions. There must be some wisdom in that. Closer home in Tanzania, Parliament was moved from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma – a complete relocation of Parliament. We are not suggesting that radical movement. We are only saying that in order to inform hon. Members, make them more national and appreciate the challenges of the country, let us move out to the provinces. Let us interact with our people more closely so that we can demystify the institution of Parliament. Let us make it more friendly to the people and make it more realistic to achieve its objectives. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, if we have to move to the North or to the Rift Valley for a session, what do we need? We need the Speaker or Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker. We need the MPs, of course, because this country belongs to all of us. We need to go, live, sit, discuss and appreciate what the local communities, including the local MP, are experiencing. That is because he brings here the problems of his constituency and nobody seems to connect with them because they have never been there! They either sympathise with you or they walk away as you contribute. We need the Speaker. We need the HANSARD, of course, in order to"
}