HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 255557,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/255557/?format=api",
"text_counter": 222,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Kenyatta",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 168,
"legal_name": "Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta",
"slug": "uhuru-kenyatta"
},
"content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in your own words during the opening of this Session, you said that time had come for us as leaders to dialogue with one another and to consult. It is through dialogue and exchange of ideas that solutions are reached. But for dialogue to take place, and we have experience in trying to dialogue prior to the Referendum, there must be a conducive environment. It is important for me to say that without developing dialogue, the many issues touched on by the President, in his Speech, will not be achieved. In the very same breath, a new constitution was not achieved because we lacked the ability to dialogue. If truly we love this nation, and are determined to combat many critical issues that face the citizens of this land, we need the ability to dialogue and talk to one another and not at one another. It is critical and this Government seems to show a very keen dislike for that word \"dialogue,\" unless it is my way. Dialogue is a two-way street. It can only be created in an environment of trust. The President himself encouraged us, as Members of Parliament, to talk with one another. But the question is: Has he created an environment in which leaders can talk to one another? I beg to put it forward to this House that we have not created an atmosphere where leaders are able to talk to one another. By extension, because of that lack of trust in one another and the inability to dialogue with one another, all the great things like economic growth and development are meaningless. This is because the inability to dialogue only produces a negative. A negative that we see in our nation is increased ethnic animosity. What we see that is on the increase is confusion, not just amongst leaders, but also amongst Kenyans who seem to have lost hope and direction. They seem to feel that they are completely misrepresented by a Government that refuses to dialogue. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this nation is being faced by one of the worst droughts in recent times. As much as we talk about growth, this economy is equally going through its own drought, because no investor will invest in an environment of political uncertainty. When we look at the disjointedness in the operations of even our own security forces, we can see that there is a clear disconnect even amongst them; no wonder the increased cases of insecurity in our nation! Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have a financial sector that Kenya has always boasted as being stable, and yet, today we cannot say whether we have one or two Governors of the Central Bank of March 28, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 113 Kenya (CBK), or none at all. The horticultural sector in our country has been the backbone of our export economy and yet, we see, as a result of unclear policies, this sector shrinking as investors who have invested heavily in this country seek other destinations. This is because of exchange factors and clear lack of commitment and direction from this Government. They are moving into a country like Ethiopia; a country that used to once say that Kenya was an island of peace, prosperity and hope in the sea of despair in our neighbours. That confusion reigns even in this very House. Even the Chair is not clear about the very composition of political parties in this House. As I speak today, I look on the Government side and see hon. Members who were elected on my party's ticket sitting on that side. There is no clarity as to what they are doing there. As a result of that confusion, there are hon. Members sitting behind me who are supposed to be on the Government side, for reasons---"
}