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{
    "id": 206669,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/206669/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 247,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Prof. Maathai",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 226,
        "legal_name": "Wangari Muta Maathai",
        "slug": "wangari-maathai"
    },
    "content": "Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for allowing me to make this contribution and strongly commend the Minister and his team for the work that they are doing, especially in the efforts that they are making to rationalise the Ministry and make it more efficient, effective and productive. I have two comments. I would like to, indeed, suggest that one way in which we can cut the budget abroad is by not exporting Kenyans to do jobs that can be done by locals in the countries where we have embassies. For example, there is no need for us to take drivers, cooks and other junior staff from Kenya to abroad, because that becomes a very unnecessary expense. We can very well use the locals and get very efficient services. Then we would be able to send staff who are competent enough to deal with issues that are much more important to us such as trade. The other point that I want to raise is that, at the expense of appearing like I am speaking for myself, I think the Ministry needs to be given capacity to deal with individual Kenyans, who can be useful to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, even though they are not members of the foreign office. I am particularly thinking even of people like me, who have been recognised as a Nobel Peace Laureate and I find myself quite often being used more by foreign Governments to do work for them, rather than by my own Government, and I know that it is mostly because the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not have an office to support such people. I think that it is a very important office and I hope that the Ministry will be given that capacity. With that I support and congratulate the Minister."
}