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"id": 193976,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Ethuro",
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"speaker": {
"id": 158,
"legal_name": "Ekwee David Ethuro",
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"content": "When buildings collapses there is a Minister responsible for public works, and he or she must ensure that buildings are constructed properly. Buildings collapse in this City and the President rushes to the scene to help with the rescue operations. The President should sack the Minister responsible before he goes to the rescue! These buildings take ages to come up. We all pass there, but the Minister responsible does not even care to ask what about what happens. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have Kenyans who have invested money in houses from mortgages. They pay dearly, yet their houses are now being demolished because they are on road by-passes. Where were the Ministers responsible when these houses were being built on by-passes? Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we want Ministers who will be clean, hopefully even in terms in terms of character and conduct, and competent in terms of productivity and academic credentials. As one good Assistant Minister told this House two weeks ago, when the Government employs drivers they are required to get a certificate of good conduct from the police; why not Ministers of Government? This is a mere GK driver. Could it be because if we provided for that, maybe half of the Ministers would go home? We want to deepen democracy in our country. We want to ensure that the resources Kenyans have given to us go to public goods and services. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, when you have a Government Budget, most of which spend on running costs, because of a large bureaucracy, then we have an issue to do with getting our priorities right. This country requires good roads. This country requires that northern Kenya developed. This country requires that the southern range lands be protected and reserved. This country, by necessity, requires that our environment be clean and sound. We can only do that if the people who are managing public resources at the top and are mandated to create appropriate policy frameworks that will be competent enough and in a manageable size. Then we will be able to ensure that this country goes to greater lengths in terms of our development agenda. So, this Motion is appealing to the House to exercise its constitutional obligation, to help the current President and future Presidents to ensure that we have a standard in which we know May 14, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1005 what we are getting on to. It will also help us, in a very important manner, to ease the pressure by our constituents who think that once you are seeking for an elective office of the Member of Parliament, it is a direct ticket to be appointed a Minister. It is time they knew from the first day that the positions at the top are very limited and that not all of us will be appointed Ministers. This will ensure that we all feel very competent to serve as good Back-benchers, as I am doing now. Nobody should feel that, because he or she is not appointed, he or she is not good enough. It is just that we are so good, but only a few can be appointed to serve. They must serve because they have obligations to this country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, a Cabinet position in this country is so important because people know that we can only have one President, one Vice-President, one Prime Minister and two Deputy Prime Ministers. So, the only other largesse is to be appointed a Cabinet Minister. So, it is so important that even after post-election violence the moment we have assumed those positions now, we are not talking about other agenda that were part of the mediation. I want to submit that this country is more important than our positions and Cabinet. We need to address the issues that brought us, as a State, almost to the brink of collapse. I hope the Members from my party and the other parties will find it necessary to support this cause. It is for our good and that of the nation. In William Shakespeare's books, we read the phrase that says: \"It is not that I do not love Caesar, but I love Rome more.\" I am sure my good friend, Mr. Mungatana, will agree with me more. It is not that we do not love our Ministers. We love them, but we love Kenya more. I beg to move and ask my good friend from Kisumu Town West Constituency, Mr. Olago, in the true spirit of partnership between PNU and ODM, to second this Motion."
}