Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 273057,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/273057/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 403,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Kabando wa Kabando",
    "speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 31,
        "legal_name": "Kabando wa Kabando",
        "slug": "kabando-kabando"
    },
    "content": "Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, we are also entitled to understand where the money borrowed for and on behalf of the people of the Republic of Kenya is used and its source. Today, one of the issues that have not been focused on is who finances the civil society. I think the culture of secrecy even in the civil society and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)--- I have worked for many years in that sector, but I can tell you that even when I served as a senior officer in some of those institutions, as employees, we could rarely be shown the source of financing. Because of the hopelessness and joblessness, we felt that it was like an invitation to tokenism to be given a job in a certain NGO. We did not oblige the management boards of those NGOs to show who had given the money, because whoever pays the piper also calls the tune. We are not saying that by identifying a certain international corporation or a certain embassy or development agency, as the stakeholder in a certain communication firm that is doing opinion polling, it will reprimand or that there will be punitive measures put in place to prevent such a relationship. But Kenya has also grown. This culture of exclusiveness and secrecy needs to be dismantled the way it has been dismantled in the Government. In Parliament, we are interrogating simple matters on the Floor of this House. Ministers are made to account for decisions made, including employment of junior officers. We must move as one nation in tandem; that is, the civil society, religious sector, public sector and private sector, so that we do not dismantle impunity of one category and produce impunity of another category. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I fully support this Motion. I know that originally, there were feelings that if such a Bill was brought before House, it could have been seen to be intended to punish opinion polling. We cannot do without opinion polls. Let us do opinion polling on consumer satisfaction of commodities produced. Let us also do opinion polling on the work of the CMA instead of producing what we are now seeing in the CMC, where the barons who were proclaiming to be good leaders – “the very European” – in this country have shipped shareholders’ dividends to their overseas accounts. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, even within the church – and I know that many people do not want to touch this – a Motion should come to also compel even religious organizations to show the source of their funding. This is because as a political candidate, you cannot be financed by an overseas friend or foreigner. We know that the corporate world determines politics. They finance presidential candidates and political parties. They are going to finance Governors and Senators. So, the interest to make full disclosures is basically to ensure that we stop the culture of impunity and produce the best results. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I conclude by saying that it is important to know even the shareholding in some important institutions. It is not just a matter of who pays the piper. It is important to even know who the directors of these institutions are, as carried in the spirit of this Bill. This will ensure that a pollster organization is not owned just by one family coming from one village and decides to also employ village mates and classmates and, then conduct an opinion poll with the likelihood that a friend from the same village is a contender with another friend 5,000 kilometres away from that village. The prejudice can easily be produced. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to support."
}