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"id": 197170,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/197170/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Nyamweya",
"speaker_title": "Nominated Member",
"speaker": {
"id": 391,
"legal_name": "Manson Oyongo Nyamweya",
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"content": " Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am George Omari Nyamweya, Secretary-General of the Democratic Party of Kenya (DP). There is a reason as to why I am saying so. I am also the Secretary to the Council of the PNU. In 1997, in the DP manifesto we advocated for the office of Prime Minister. I supported the creation of that office. Why? Because as long as we have a system of Government that we have, it is necessary that we have a Prime Minister in the House to answer on behalf of the Government. That is why I supported it and I support it now. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I read somewhere that before you pull down a fence, ask yourself why it was put up in the first place. They created the office of the Prime Minister; we amended the Constitution, including Section 3. Before we engage in further amendments, let us ask ourselves why Section 3 was put in the Constitution. Let us ask ourselves: What is going to happen to Public Investments Committee (PIC) and Public Accounts Committee (PAC), now that we are entering into a Grand Coalition? What is the role of the Opposition? I do not think that it is lesser than that of the Government. So long as we have a system in Kenya where we are opposed to everything--- There are winners and losers. That is the system that we have. Our courts have the same system. It is So-and-so versus So-and-so. Here, we have the same system; the Government side and the Opposition side. So, so long as we have those systems that way, we must then put safeguards. We must never ever give leave to the goodwill of individuals. We must strengthen our institutions. Whatever we do, do not take them lightly. Let us not just move them around because we think that it is the right thing to do. Let us not say that peace comes from individuals. Peace is there because the law requires us to keep the peace. You cannot tell me or those people who have been displaced from their homes - and I am included because I come from Trans Nzoia - that if you displaced me from there and you take me to Borabu where, again, I am displaced or I am under threat of being displaced, what peace can I enjoy if I have no place to enjoy it in? What possible peace can there be? So, before we go too far in applauding ourselves, let us first put up a Select Committee of this House and say: \"We must resettle those people who have been displaced from their homes.\" We must also ask ourselves: \"Why were they removed from there? It had nothing to do with the elections! Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have taken the liberty to look at something that is very interesting. The First Parliament had three petitions. The Second Parliament had 14 petitions. The Third Parliament had 30 petitions. The Fourth Parliament had 31 petitions. The Fifth Parliament had 27 petitions. The Sixth Parliament had 23 petitions. The Seventh Parliament had 67 petitions. The Eighth Parliament had 20 petitions. The Ninth Parliament had 31 petitions. Today, as I gather, we have about 38 petitions pending. So, we do have ways of resolving our electoral misgivings. We do not need to go out there to look for others to resolve problems of our own creation. That is because we must begin to have faith in our own institutions. We must begin to have faith in our courts. We must also begin to have faith in this House, Government and the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK). Why do I say that? We are Kenyans. We were born in Kenya. Nobody else is going to come and manage this country for us. We must manage it ourselves. We must solve the problems that are there. Why do you believe or think that there was such a reaction to the 2007 General Elections? I know that PNU Parliamentary votes were over 5,000,000. The ODM and its associates had 3,000,000 votes and yet, ODM had 100 seats and PNU got 85 seats. Do you not ask yourselves how the difference of 2,000,000 votes is represented in this House? Is there not something wrong with our electoral system? Should we, therefore, not be thinking about proportional representation March 20, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 327 or adjustment of constituencies? That is because those 2,000,000 votes were wasted. Why do you think the ODM had difficulties in accepting the Presidential elections? The 4,000,000 that went to hon. Raila Odinga were frustrated votes. So, we must find a way of ensuring that our votes are not wasted. That way, we will be equally represented. We will live in a country which we know we deserve to be in which we belong to, which regards you as a human being and you have a right to share in its bounty. I think that is really what is troubling us. It will not be solved by our being put in the Cabinet or being promised this or the other. That is the Executive function. We must ask ourselves why this House conducts its business this way. What did we do during the last term? How have we influenced the life of an ordinary Kenyan? I think that is what we must ask ourselves. How will my being in this House affect the future of those children we see up there? The free education that we are giving them, which they are entitled to--- Indeed, it should go up to secondary and university levels. Unless you invest in your own peoples' education, you will never develop anything. You will not get very far. So, we must make sure that our resources go to education. We must make sure that every constituency has, at least, two model schools, so that they can actually produce the Kenya we want. I went to a school where we were completely mixed. Until we left school, we never regarded ourselves as: \"A person from that village or tribe.\" That business has been brought about by politicians who need to go back to their ancestral land to seek votes. At Independence and, maybe, that is why there were not so many petitions, you went to seek votes on the party sponsoring you. Wherever it is was, you were sent there. But now, you know you must go to where your clan is. If your clan was represented in Parliament last time they say: \"Let us try another clan.\" That is what we must get rid of. The way to do it is to start at the foundation. Let us start with the schools. That is where children are nurtured. Let us start teaching them leadership. Let us allow them to elect prefects, and not just appoint them. That way, they can start learning leadership and responsibility. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have gone through a crisis! Yes! It was self- induced! It was self-induced because we have had elections before. There has been no reason why, if the outcome does not favour you, you must fight. We have had elections and we have learnt to accept defeat and victory. But as we proceed, we must engage in an economic summit. And ask ourselves: How are we going to help our farmers? I know that it is possible. I was the Managing Director of Agricultural Finance Corporation - for a very short time - six months! But I do know that if it was possible five years ago, it is possible now. We can have fertilizer for, at least, one- third of the current price. I also know that we can have tractors and implements at half the price. Why are we not able to do so? It is because of greed. We have middlemen--- Something that costs Kshs200 or Kshs300 is increased to Kshs2,000 by middlemen. So, it is necessary for the Ministers in charge - the Minister for Finance and othe to intervene. That is why I am talking about an economic summit. We should get all the players to sit down and agree on how we can manage our agriculture, connect electricity across the country and how we can tap and harvest rain water. We have plenty of rain water. But all of it goes to the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Egypt uses our own water to grow wheat and sends us rice and sugar. Surely, there must be something that we are not doing right. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this House, individually and collectively, must take the lead. I would like us to ask ourselves: Do we really need to express ourselves by having to praise others? I do not think so. For sure, I am not going to be among the ones who must do it that way. I beg to support. 328 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES March 20, 2008 Thank you."
}