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{
    "id": 194038,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/194038/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 138,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. ole Metito",
    "speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Regional Development Authorities",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 199,
        "legal_name": "Judah Katoo Ole-Metito",
        "slug": "judah-ole-metito"
    },
    "content": " Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me an opportunity to also support this Motion. A lot has been said on the importance of Parliament fixing the number of Ministries, and defining or specifying the Ministries we should have. One hon. Member said that nowadays that honour of being a Minister is no longer there, because there are so many Ministers and people do not even know their definite roles. There are other reasons why we need to specify the kind of Ministries that we should have. Section 16 of the Constitution says that we must have offices of Ministers of Government of Kenya. There are some Ministries right now which are not recognised in some regions. People may not even recognise you as a Minister, because the definition of your Ministry does not extend to that region. An example is the Ministry of Nairobi Metropolitan Development. 1018 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES May 14, 2008 For example if the Minister for Nairobi Metropolitan Development goes to Nakuru, people might not see him as a Minister, because they think that the jurisdiction of that Ministry ends in Nairobi. Another one is the Ministry of Northern Kenya and Other Arid Lands. If you go to Coast Province and you are the Minister for that Ministry, people at the Coast may not identify you as a Minister, because the jurisdiction of that Ministry does not include the Coast Province. We must define the kind of Ministries we have, so that they are Ministries of the Government of Kenya, so that wherever you are, you are seen as a Minister for the whole Republic. The idea of taking care of northern Kenya or Arid Lands---These could be departments under substantive Ministries. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, many departments are overlapping. I take issue with a body like KETRI, which should be under the Ministry of Livestock Development, but now is under the Ministry of Agriculture. Bodies like the Kenya Vaccine Production Institute should be under the Ministry of Livestock Development, but they are under the Ministry of Agriculture. This is because, as Parliament, we have failed to define the specific Ministries and their functions. The organization of the Government has been left to individuals. Every time you see a reshuffle of the Cabinet what follows next is the organization of the Government, and departments are no longer where they were; that should come to an end. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, finally, regarding the issue of a clean Cabinet, when the Mover was moving this Motion, he elaborated so well that Kenyan Ministers do not step aside when mentioned in corruption. What happens is that the law says you are innocent until proven guilty. So, when somebody takes a Minister to court over alleged corruption, the Minister will go to court to seek a Constitutional reference and then that case drags on for years and years. We should have a clause in the proposed Bill that will say that once you are mentioned, you should step aside until you are proved innocent by a court of law. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}