HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 204221,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/204221/?format=api",
"text_counter": 145,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Muturi",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 215,
"legal_name": "Justin Bedan Njoka Muturi",
"slug": "justin-muturi"
},
"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me an opportunity to say a few words about this Motion. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is important to appreciate that the Motion seeks among other things to say that there has been unfair distribution of public resources. There has also been a breach on the promise of zero tolerance to corruption and nepotism and general legal and administrative reforms. It also seeks if possible, to right those wrongs by making it possible that we, as a Parliament, are able to recognise the fact that there exists well over 40 ethnic communities in Kenya, particularly in the area of recruitment into public service jobs. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would have absolutely no problems with anything that Parliament would want to express the same with a view to addressing these very key issues. We must also bear in mind that we, as Members of Parliament, are actually some of the greatest culprits. We all appreciate the traditional roles of Members of Parliament. First and foremost, it is to legislate alongside representation. We represent people. We are elected here to come and represent our people. Thirdly, to offer oversight role to the Executive arm of the Government. I would imagine that this Motion seeks to enhance the role of this House in the third role of a Member of Parliament which is overseeing the Executive. However, when we represent our people, we must ask ourselves whether those whom we represent understand in which ways we are supposed to represent them. Is it in ensuring that resources are adequately, fairly or equitably distributed in the areas that we come from or is it in ensuring that I will get jobs for as many people in various places? That is where the problem comes in. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, our own Ministers are elected Members of Parliament and the people who elected them expect them to get them jobs. So, as Ministers, those who elected them expect that they should actually get them jobs through hook or crook. Yes, this is the truth. The people who elected us expect us to use whichever methods to get them jobs. Therefore, that is where the problem lies. The people we appoint Ministers are also elected and they want to retain and protect their seats come the subsequent elections. If one of the ways through which they will help to retain their seats is by ensuring that as many as possible of their electors are employed and more so, employed within their ministries, they will do that. I do not think that any one of them can stand here and look me in the face and tell me that they do not do that. If they get a place within their ministries, the first thing they will say is: \"After all, I have 1,000 job seekers and this one is qualified and he should go there\". That is where the problem lies. September 12, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3837 Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in as much as it is desirable to have a Select Committee, I am a little uncomfortable with the idea of a Select Committee to do a one-off job. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have been supportive over the years. I want to say it here, on the Floor of this House, now that we are debating this Motion and we are reviewing our Standing Orders, it is high time we came up with a Departmental Committee of this House which the various service commissions in Government will be answerable to on a regular basis. It is that kind of Committee that the Public Service Commission (PSC) will be appearing before on a regular basis, to give an audit report of their recruitment in the past, present and how they intend to go on in future - progressively. If we have that kind of Committee, it will be, on a regular basis, mandated by this House and our rules to be making periodic reports of those audits. If we had that kind of Committee, we would not have had this idea of having retirees being appointed. We have been singing, since 2003, that: \"Please, help this country! There are too many job-seekers! Why bring back those who have retired?\" They may have been very good priests, but we have so many young graduates from all over, who actually deserve those jobs. A Committee of this House would be able to say: \"It is not fair to have a managing director who is older than the chairman of a corporation.\" Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, look at the situation obtaining at the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA). Eng. Mwongera, who actually fits in the job of being the Managing Director of KAA - I would imagine - is the Chairman of that Corporation! A former priest is the Managing Director. It is those kinds of scenarios that we would want to see corrected. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, look at the situation that obtains at the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA). There is a Managing Director who did a commendable job there - Mr. Brown Ondego. He was removed and replaced with another docile one, merely because there was pressure coming from that region. We are not recognising ability and capability! Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, even the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) would also have to answer and appear before that Committee of the House to explain how they recruit staff. Now that we are actually reviewing our Standing Orders, if we created that kind of Committee of the House, it would be making reports on a regular basis to this House, so that the entire nation could know the recruitment criteria. If there are jobs, if we want to go the route which is proposed here, of recognising tribes, let us adopt a method similar to the one of Malaysia, whereby we advertise jobs. In the case of the Mbeeres, for example, they are a small community. If there are jobs on a pro rata basis, if there is only Mbeere who is qualified--- I do not advocate the engagement of people who are not qualified merely because they come from ethnic groups. At this age and era, I want us to recognise ability, competence and professionalism. I would not want to say that Mr. Mungatana is not qualified to hold the job he is holding merely because he is a Pokomo! The young man is fairly competent! That applies to the young man, Mr. Wetangula. I want to emphasise competence, fairness in recruitment, professionalism and ability. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in as much as we are debating this Motion in the manner that it is; that it seeks to have a Select Committee of this House just to report on the issues that have happened between January, 2003 and now, on a more national and proactive way, I would want to propose that we have a Committee of the House on a permanent basis that deals with the issue of policy and criteria of recruitment in various positions in Government. If we stand here and just begin to bash individuals, that is not going to help. I am not bashing any individual. But I am saying that we need to move in a manner that is more structured than we are doing. Thank you."
}