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"id": 255263,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Arungah",
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"legal_name": "Julius Odenyo Arungah",
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"content": "Yes, Mr. Speaker, Sir! As I was saying this morning, I was not privileged to be here when the President was presenting his Speech. But having read it I realised that he emphasised on three things. First, he told this House what he thought were the achievements of his Government so far. He then set the agenda for the next few months, and told us what he expected Parliament to do. I think it is a welcome opportunity for all of us, including those who are opposed to the Government, to come up with alternative programmes to make the lives of Kenyans better. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to touch on issues that were raised in the Presidential Speech. The first one is the issue of corruption. The President has re-affirmed his commitment to fight corruption in this country. As a die-hard optimist, I am prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. There are those who are doubting his commitment, but I am prepared to assume that he means well and I support him. The fight against corruption has just begun. It is not for the President or Justice Aaron Ringera alone, but it is a fight that involves all of us. It is my humble submission that every Kenyan, big or small, has an opportunity to contribute to the fight against corruption by refusing to participate in corruption. In the past, we had not heard of corruption scandals. There is a new development that we are now starting to hear about corruption scandals that may have happened some few years back. We are even beginning to hear of scandals as they happen. Credit goes to this House for its vigilance, so that, in the near future, we should be able to anticipate corruption and stop it in its tracks. Mr. Speaker, Sir, there are some actions that have been taken towards addressing corruption, however cosmetic. There are four friends of mine who were sitting on the Front Bench, and because of the action of Government, some of them have been asked to step aside and they are now sitting with me on the Back Bench. We must recognise that as an improvement in the fight against corruption. There are those who are saying that they must be arraigned in court. I agree. But 196 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES March 29, 2006 as we do so, we must let the law take its course, because even those who are being accused have a right to be heard. But, ultimately, this House must also show commitment to fighting corruption by passing the proposed Proceeds of Crime and Money Laundering Bill so that the monies that have been stolen can be recovered.Arraigning the thieves in court does not in any way help the common man. Mr. Speaker, Sir, on the issue of the Constitution, we know we are in a stalemate. But I am convinced that this House has the capacity to do something in the meantime. It is possible for this House to come up with a mechanism to, at least, pass the 80 per cent that was said to be non contentious and leave the 20 per cent to be sorted out. In any case, the two main issues that were supposed to be addressed by the new Constitution are the issues of governance, which we can address by passing minimal Constitutional amendments. The second issue is that of allocation of the natural resources of this country. This House has put a mechanism in place where, hopefully in the near future, we shall have a Fiscal Analysis Office through which this House will have an opportunity to decide on how the natural resources are allocated. In doing so, the two major issues that are of concern will be addressed. Therefore, I do not believe that all is lost. However, there is no beating about the bush. Whatever happens, the President should be told to give Kenya a new Constitution. He must simply talk to the Members of the ODM. I can assure the President that it does not matter how eminent any person is. Anything short of talking to the ODM will not do. Mr. Speaker, Sir, a lot has been said by my colleagues about our own performance in this House. I am disappointed that, out of the 25 Bills that were brought, only seven were passed by this House. We must remind ourselves that legislation is our core business and it is important for us to pass certain laws to enable the Executive to function. We also know that at our level of development, we are still beggars who rely on the IMF and the World Bank. For us to access their funds, we must put certain laws in place. We must humble ourselves to that fact and do our part to enable the Government to function. It does no good to just sit back and point fingers at other people for not doing their work. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I have been to many seminars and workshops where participants have alluded to the rate at which we are working in this House. It is my wish that we search ourselves and see how we can improve on the way we are doing our work. Lately, I have seen unpredecented energy used by the Members of this House when it comes to addressing certain issues. I would like to see a situation where Dr. Godana, Mr. Billow, Ms. Shaaban, Mr. H.M. Mohammed and others, lead a demonstration in Mandera, Wajir and Nairobi, urging this House to increase the acreage of land under irrigation so that we do not see those pictures of dying children on television. I would like to see a situation where Prof. Mango, Dr. Ojiambo and Mr. Okemo will go and demonstrate in Busia and Nairobi, to force this House to pass the Cotton Bill and convert the Cotton Lint and Seed Marketing Board into the Cotton Development Authority. I would like to see Ms. Ndungu leading the women of Kenya in a demonstration to ensure that this House passes a Bill that will empower women. Our luminaries too have a role to play. They all want to go to State House so that they can make a difference in the lives of Kenyans. I would like my friend, Mr. Musyoka, to lead a demonstration in the streets of Nairobi to force a Bill to empower the small people in the village to access money and improve their lives. But we are concentrating our energies on other areas. What am I saying? I am saying, let us surprise Kenyans for a change, by addressing issues that make a difference in their social welfare. Let us send a message to the private sector so that they can sit back, plan and grow so that our kids can get jobs. I am saying, let us not scare investors. We need them to come into this country and invest. Mr. Speaker, Sir, in conclusion, I want to thank the Government for the various projects that it has earmarked for Khwisero, including the rehabilitation of Ekero-Buyangu Road. They are March 29, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 197 going to give us three boreholes and extend electricity lines in Khwisero. With those remarks, I beg to support."
}