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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, when we were growing up, the Government had a form of social assistance where my mother worked. I saw as we grew up the Government consistently provide assistance to vulnerable groups in the society. The Government catered for the ones who were not able to pay school fees and lacked food. Indeed, it is embarrassing for us, as a country, that we will be celebrating 50 years which in the Bible is called the “Year of Jubilee”, with lamentations. It is unfortunate, as a country and we need to really look back and ask ourselves: Where did the rain start beating us? If you look at smaller countries that got their independence later and some of which are facing serious economic challenges like Zimbabwe, you will realise that they are doing much better than us even in terms of providing social assistance. We had the honour and pleasure to visit Namibia with hon. Dr. Laboso, where we were shown how an effective social assistance programme is run. We share with several other countries around what they are doing. Indeed, I can say that in Kenya, there are certain initiatives that we have indicated such as the Cash Transfer Programme for children and the one for women and older persons. I want to thank this Tenth Parliament for the many Motions and laws that we have passed that have actually anchored these initiatives in law. Before it was dependent on the whims of the Government in place and if the Government was not interested, then it would not be provided. But now by constitutional provision, we have taken the mandate of ensuring that we protect these vulnerable groups under Article 43 of the Constitution. Even though it is progressive, I want to thank hon. Laboso that by providing this legislative framework, we are actually even fulfilling our constitutional mandate in relation to Article 43 of the Constitution. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, as the Vice-Chair of the CIOC, I am, indeed, happy that we have taken this initiative. I want to indicate that there are many Kenyans; over 50 per cent, who live below the poverty line with many living on less than one dollar a day. We have incidents of child headed households that is extremely prevalent especially in parts of Nyanza where my father comes from. I want to also indicate that we also have very severe cases of feminization of poverty with women bearing the greatest brunt of poverty especially with issues of skewed gender relation. Therefore, when you provide this law, it goes a long way in also balancing the gender equation and also, it seeks to ensure that women are put in our development table. I want to thank hon. Dr. Laboso for mentioning the fact that many parliamentarians are fearful of talking about. I do not and I have said here in the House before that I do not support any increment of salaries for Members of Parliament. However, one of the things that Members of Parliament fear saying because then it is not the most prudent or most sexy things to say in the public, is that Members of Parliament have become the social security system in this country. As Members of Parliament, we are the ones to provide money for burials for members of our communities. We are the ones who provide medical bills for members of our communities; we are the ones who provide school fees for members of our communities; we are the ones who build houses for poor members of society and because people still need to marry, we are the ones who also help poor people pay dowry. Then, whenever we say this, sometimes, I share with my friends, they also tell me, we also do that. They do it occasionally and it is not obligatory, as it is for elected Members. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, fortunately, I can be speaking today as a Nominated Member. I see what my elected colleagues go through and I can tell you for a"
}