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{
    "id": 1506350,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1506350/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 121,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Dagoretti North, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Beatrice Elachi",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Hon. Makau, you are a Commissioner in the Parliamentary Service Commission. You are a bigger Government sympathiser than I am. Parliament is an arm of Government, so no Member of Parliament is a sympathiser of another arm of Government. You should understand that. The Commissioner did not understand, so I will rephrase my statement. After our colleagues left, they formed a group and went to the NHIF to negotiate for a private medical cover for their families. They were all former Members of Parliament. Even if SHA exists, they will have to go through a process before they can enjoy the same cover that they had. If we had this provision 13 years ago, they would not have gone through all that to get a medical cover. The Bill will assist each Member of Parliament. First, you will get your pension, but the most important pension you need is health. We perform a job where everyone hates us. Sometimes I look at the young Members of Parliament feel for them. Hon. Temporary Speaker, this is your third term. If our young Members of Parliament do not get pensions, it will be very difficult for them. Getting employment after they leave Parliament is very difficult. We have been very harsh to ourselves in Parliament because we create jobs for everyone, but we forget about ourselves. In many cases, we include a clause in our laws that stipulates that if one has ever been a Member of Parliament, they cannot get a particular job. What will happen to our young Members of Parliament after they leave? I heard the Leader of the Majority Party giving an example of Hon. Toto. She has now started a family. What will happen to her after she leaves? I congratulate the Commission and thank them for this scheme. I want us to go further to ensure that the medical cover works even better than the pension cover. It is critical for those who will leave the House. Members may say that they will come back to the House, but it is up to God. Only a few people will come back. We must also look at our staff. They have their own medical cover, but it is important for us to also look at it. It is very wrong for staff of the PSC to experience challenges. We are an arm of Government like any other. The Judiciary and the Executive take good care of themselves. We have reached a point in this 13th Parliament where we have refused to take care of ourselves. We should appreciate that we are working in a job that we looked for. It may be politics, but it is a five-year job, after which you will be evaluated to determine whether you will come back. Can we take care of ourselves starting with the food from the catering department? Can we eat good food so that we stop diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure? Let us be honest and take care of ourselves. With those few remarks, I support the Bill."
}