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{
    "id": 1506365,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1506365/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 136,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Marsabit County, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Naomi Waqo",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you for allowing me to contribute to this important Bill that concerns the lives of many people, especially former, current and future Members of Parliament. I congratulate Hon. Makali Mulu for coming up with this Bill. From experience, and as many Members have already said, Members of Parliament are darlings to many before they get elected to this position. Many of them are financially and intellectually stable and relevant too. You become another person and receive much bashing from the country once you get to this House. Even your closest friends can just attack you and leave you alone. The higher you go, the cooler it becomes. Many of us have now seen that. I was a darling to many people when I was a nominated Senator. I am still in good relations with many people but the graph goes down as you go up. That is why anything that protects any Member of Parliament is to be taken seriously with a lot of passion. We are here to speak on behalf of those who cannot speak for, or defend, themselves. I support this Bill because of many of its clauses. In particular, Clause 4 of the Bill proposes insertion of New Section 3A to the Act to enable Members of Parliament to elect to be either paid pension or gratuity at the end of their term. This is very important because you are given freedom to choose what you want. That which you choose will help you and benefit your family. I advise Members of Parliament to be wise enough, especially our male colleagues. Many are the times when an accident occurs. At the time an honourable Member dies and leaves the family, many women who claim to be the hidden wives of the deceased bring children. That is what they call mpango wa kando . Because you have associated with that woman, you have the freedom to declare them as your loved ones or best women. You can put them in your list of beneficiaries instead of making them struggle to know their status and pushing the children to go for DNA tests. That is not right. You had the freedom to associate with that woman. Therefore, feel free to bring her to the family so that everybody and all other women know each other and share the benefits. This is a relevant Bill that we all need to support. Clause 12 of the Bill seeks to amend Section 13 of the principle Act to provide payment to widows and widowers of Members of Parliament. Previously, the assumption was that only women would be left behind. Now that women are coming to power, we encourage them to be there to fight for their rights, positions and space. In the next election, we are very optimistic that many women Members of Parliament will be here. Therefore, it is good to have the widowers considered. I can see that my time is about to lapse. As honourable Members, we need to implement this as soon as possible. The President also needs to assent to it so that it can be implemented as soon as possible. Our health is paramount. The Members who have exited Parliament need our support. I support and pray that many Members will contribute to this so that all of us can benefit. Thank you."
}