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{
    "id": 240416,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/240416/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 177,
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    "content": "Secretary of the Ministry responsible for that institution a member of the Board. That will not compromise the independence of the Board; after all, it has more than 12 members. How can the inclusion of one member compromise the independence of the whole Board. It only serves to provide the vital link so that when you ask questions about salaries and performance contracts, the Executive is able, through that window, to answer those questions. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is also the issue of the Kenya Nation Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) which reports directly to Parliament. The reports of that body come directly to Parliament and are seen by the Executive later. If there are issues that need attention or practices that need to be curbed, it means that they can only be attended to much later after the report has gone through the Motion stage. It is possible to introduce amendments that do not water down the independence of this institution where the report goes simultaneously to Parliament and also to the Executive. It should be more or less the way the Controller and Auditor-General deals with reports taken to him. This Parliament has a responsibility to ensure that we pass laws that assist us in this transitional stage. We, therefore, propose that we engage each other before the Committee of the Whole House so that we come with acceptable amendments which can serve us today and tomorrow. There are many other amendments relating to the various statutes which we are willing to look at the proposals both from the Ministry concerned and hon. Members of this House. We are even willing to hear from hon. Members who did not have a chance to contribute to the debate concerning the various sections of this Bill. That move will ensure that the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill that we pass here will help us and serve the interests of the country. Finally, I have heard one or more hon. Members complain that we should not open our wealth declarations to the public. What is being sought here is exposing them to the investigative agencies so that they are able to verify and investigate where necessary. I would urge hon. Members to let these amendments pass so that we do not render the Public Officer Ethics Act which obligates us to list down our wealth, irrelevant. If we leave our Wealth Declaration Forms to go to the archives with nobody to monitor them, verify them or check on compliance, of what use will they be? If we were serious in passing this Act, we shall welcome the amendments that have been sought and we shall be seeking to open a window so that the investigative agencies can be able to do the enforcement. We shall be ready, at the Committee the Whole House stage, to engage and bring amendments that will serve this country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have just remembered that somebody took issue with the remuneration of Constitutional office holders. He claimed that this was meant to compromise them."
}