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"id": 229675,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. N. Nyagah",
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"id": 219,
"legal_name": "Norman Munene Gathakari K Nyagah",
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"content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you very much for this opportunity. I am a beneficiary of the new rule that there should be no interruptions in Parliament. Over the last years, when I walk into this Chamber, I spend more time talking to the hon. Members than actually concentrating and getting an opportunity to speak. Then what is reported by those that write what they write, is that, some of us make no contribution at all. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Speaker for the comments that he made yesterday on page five of his contribution. He talked about the fallacy of hon. Members not working. He gave a chronology of the things that hon. Members do and I want to repeat them. Hon. Members attend to Chamber work like we are doing today and they are involved in Committee work. I must admit that a lot of the work in Parliament is not done here. This is basically to come 32 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES March 21, 2007 and pass legislation. The work is done at the Committee stage. Since the Committee proceedings are not made public, Kenyans have no idea as to how much time the hon. Members spent. Since we went on recess, I have seen Public Accounts Committee and Public Investments Committee sit from Monday to Friday all the day and into the night. But how many Kenyans know that those people are working? These are some of the problems that we go through. There are Members of Parliament who are permanently located in the Ministers' offices trying to lobby so that their constituencies can benefit from the Government kitty. As Mr. Speaker asked, \"If that is not work, then I have no idea what work is.\" Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, when an hon. Member like Mr. Kajwang is sent out of the country to represent this country on behalf of Parliament, if that is not work, then I have no idea what work is. I would like to see a media house that tracks down the role of a Member of Parliament by following him or her all through until the end of the day. That is when Kenyans will understand what it means. Truly speaking, at the end of any session, I am sure that you and I truly get tired and deserve some rest. Those countries that we keep on praising for having done extremely well, for example, Britain, where they sit for about 150 days in a year, comparably, Kenya meets just over 100 days in a year. That in itself is hard-work. That is work that cannot be quantified. Those that will replace some of us as Members of Parliament will understand how tedious and tiring it can be to be a Member of Parliament because of the work load. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me say the following about the Speech by His Excellency, the President. All of us who sit in this Parliament, from the bottom of our hearts know what this Government has done for the people of Kenya. Sometimes as we harbour our dreams and chat with our colleagues out there, they say: \"Truly, the Government of President Kibaki has done a great job but this being an election, we must fight the Government.\" I want to mention some of the things that the Government has done. We were told, and it is a fact, that if you went to the rural areas today, including Kamukunji Constituency and all the slum areas like Kanuku, Kinyago, Kiambiu and so on, you will find a three-phase electrification programme going on. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, between 1963 and 2002, only Kshs6 billion had been spend, but in the last four years, the Government has spend Kshs7 billion. That is, Kshs1 billion plus, compared to what had been spent since Kenya became independent. If that is not credit, then I do not know what credit is all about. We also know about the creation of new districts. I heard my friend Mr. Billow commending the Government for that kind of move. He said that because of the creation of districts that has taken place within North Eastern Province, he knows that during the allocation of funds, it is going to benefit. I would like to remind a colleague who spoke before, that Suba, Nyando and Bondo districts were not created as a favour by the Government. Some of those districts were created in the past before President Mwai Kibaki came into power. What he clearly states here is that legislation must be brought in here to ensure the legality of those districts. Therefore, the point I am making is that this Government is actually looking forward to ensure that it is doing things above board. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me also say something about campaign gimmicks. Most of the hon. Members seated here, on both sides of this House, have some explanations to make and fight to come back to this Parliament. I think the only person who will come back to this Parliament easily is the President of Kenya, because Kenyans are determined to have him come back. In every single corner of this country, people have actually seen, felt, and smelt development by his Government. Literally, in every place one has been to in this country, he or she will find that the President seems to be the only person who will easily come back to this Parliament. The ones that are going to campaign harder are the ordinary hon. Members, like you and me. I think his fate is sealed. In fact, if I were the other hon. Members who are planning to campaign against him, I March 21, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 33 would actually tone down some of the things that we say out there. In fact, the President is a superb man. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me talk about security. I will begin with our security here. This is something that is close to my heart and I have talked about it of late at several forums. I think we must be more strict regarding the issue. All these hon. Members here have been to one or two or three Parliaments or more and seen that getting into those Parliaments is a very rigorous process; from Mr. Speaker to the ordinary hon. Member. I think our Parliament should not fail us by not giving us enough security. We want to feel safe as we sit in this Chamber. You all remember that one day a piece of paper was thrown from the galleries towards where hon. Obwocha, the Vice- President and Minister for Home Affairs and I were seated. It could have been anything else that was thrown at us. Therefore, we want to feel safe when we come here and that the administration of Parliament should be extremely strict to ensure that security issues are monitored. As I was talking with Mr. Speaker and a few other colleagues on the other side, we felt that maybe time has come for a schedule to be followed for passing Bills. One of the greatest criticism that this Parliament has received is on the issue of passage of Bills. We have been criticised for not passing enough Bills that can be felt by Kenyans. However, how can we pass enough Bills when every one of us comes here and talks from morning until evening? Let us borrow what many other democracies have done, like giving some time limit to the passing of every Bill. If a particular Bill is not contentious and we decide that two to three days are enough to pass it, all hon. Members should come in here to be able to discuss them. In any case, most of the Bills are discussed at the Committee Stage where most of the work is done. I think this is something which we should amend. Lastly, as I sit down, Hon. Members have been demonised through and through for the last four years. I think we need to show that hon. Members can be very serious, and indeed, we are very serious. We want to be seen in that context and in that view; that we are truly honourable in the manner in which we conduct ourselves when we are in the House and out there. Then that way, there will be that dignity. You will remember those early days when we used to hear that so-and-so is coming to your district and everybody would want to come and line up and see this person. I think that is the dignity that this House requires as we go into the next General Election. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in as far as the Constitution is concerned and since I only have half a minute to go, I want to ask one fundamental question: \"How many people on the ground at home are harping on the issue of the Constitution that we hear every single day; or is it the preserve of the political leadership to have a constitutional change?\" I support the Presidential Address. Thank you."
}