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"id": 302651,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Keynan",
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"legal_name": "Adan Wehliye Keynan",
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"content": "Your Excellency, we recognize the first Parliamentary Service Commission which was a product of the enactment of that Bill as a result of that struggle. The Parliamentary Service Commission of 2003 and 2008 which laid the foundation for the attainment of Parliament as the Third Arm of the Government of Kenya and as set out in the strategic direction of Parliament including the refurbishment of its buildings. Up to that time, Parliament was listed as a small department in the Office of the President until 1999 when, though constitutionally recognized as one of the three independent entities of the Republic of Kenya, the Clerk and the entire staff were seconded from the Public Service Commission and you can imagine that kind of direction. It is a result of this and, it was not an easy struggle, that today I stand here on behalf of the Commission to salute the first Commission of 2003 and 2008 for the job well done and for laying the foundation for the refurbishment of this Chamber. We particularly thank the hon. ole Kaparo, the then Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Oloo Aringo, the then Commission’s first Vice-Chairman and the person who moved the Motion. I can say that everything that we have initiated in this Parliament; from the Eight Parliament to the Ninth Parliament, I greatly personally attribute to the genius and determination of hon. Oloo Aringo. Actually he was to be de- whipped from his party at that particular time simply because of initiating this very bold move. We salute him and all the Commissioners who were there then, who served in the Eighth and Ninth Parliament. Under Agenda Number Four of the National Accord, one of the issues we are required to do as a country is the strengthening of the technical capacity of our institution; Parliament. That includes research, budget and legal offices. As you have rightly said, Parliament, courtesy of the new Constitution is now part and parcel of the Mid-term Expenditure Review Framework and, therefore, parliamentarians will be expected, as you have said, to participate in the implementation and design of the Budget. Therefore, Parliament will not only be an end consumer. That process will require budget offices, technical staff and this will require a lot of resources. Your support on this particular venture will be greatly appreciated, by not only this Parliament but also the next Parliament. Your Excellency, as you have rightly pointed out, the next Parliament - as we have seen the performance of Members of Parliament has been improving – which will be the Eleventh Parliament, will be far much better than the Tenth Parliament and, therefore, you expect a modest and more challenging role and Members who will be up to the task. Join me in appreciating the third Commission under the Chairmanship of Hon. Kenneth Marende for actualizing the actual renovation works that we celebrate today. It is, indeed, a bold step taking into account that Parliament is a political institution that represents parliamentarians and, therefore, anything that is initiated here, you normally get many questions and interrogations. It is because of this that sometimes some of the issues are--- I want to congratulate the Speaker for his boldness and this required a bold decision. I am sure in the next few months, we appreciate that our term is coming to an end. We are in a rush and we hope the remaining seven months, so that we do not let down those who will succeed us and those of us who will be lucky to come back, we will work very hard so that we continue using this magnificent facility as Members of the Eleventh Parliament. The Commission is steadily preparing for the Eleventh Parliament expected in 2013. We appreciate your Government’s support with the acquisition of Protection House which is going to provide the needed office accommodation for our staff. As you realize, courtesy of the new Constitution, Parliament is expected to provide office space. You will remember when you were the Leader of the Official Opposition, we used the boots of our cars as our offices. We did not have any research assistants or constituency offices. All these have changed, courtesy of the determination and support of your Government. I must appreciate at this juncture, that you are one person who has been resilient. You are one person who has been patient and, indeed, I have not heard you at any given time criticize a Member of Parliament or Parliament for that matter for functioning as a people’s representative in their pursuit of legislation, oversight and other activities they are interested to do. I therefore want to commend you and I think it is one of the legacies that I will fervently remember as an individual. We hope that the next President will do the same."
}