Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 386195,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/386195/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 24,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Kipchumba",
    "speaker_title": "The Nominated Senator",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. In the spirit of nation building, I wish to salute my colleagues and the House for yet another blessed day. Mr. Speaker, Sir, looking back at His Excellency the President’s Address to Parliament, I wish to, first of all, at this juncture, take the opportunity to sincerely and categorically appreciate and thank one great hero in Kenya. This is a man who has stood over time to fight for the rights of Kenyans. He has seen to it that the laws of the land and the governance system turn from dictatorial, autocratic to democratic. This is hon. (Eng.) Raila Odinga. I am saying this because it reminds me of many years ago when I was a victim of the tough state machinery. I suffered too, fighting for space, not for myself, but for others. It reminds me of 1992 when we were clamouring for a new Constitution. There are two things that Kenyans wanted. One was to reduce the powers of the presidency. Secondly, they needed to be allowed to allocate resources and make decisions on how those recourses are to be utilized and shared at the grassroots level. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we fought for a new constitutional order for over 20 years. We, as Kenyans, can proudly say we have a new Constitution. We are now in a new dispensation or order. This order has brought in a new way of doing things. The President’s Address to Parliament was nicely worded with great dreams. It was powerful and displayed a beautiful future. I also believe that this should bring in a new culture. The Constitution has many good things. Unfortunately, it is like we did not need a new Constitution in this country. I think we needed a new culture; a new way of doing things. On that note, I wish to recognize that the new Parliament embraces gender parity. This should not only be reflected in speeches and letters, but in our behaviour. The issue of gender is not something that we have to be reminded about. We need to inculcate it in our behaviour. We need to appreciate that we have different roles in society as different sexes. Not only do we need to embrace gender parity, but also equity and fairness. Fairness should be reflected in selection, nomination and appointments. At this juncture, I am hopefully praying, that as the Government puts in place Cabinet Secretaries, that out of at least 18 people, one will be a person with disability. It is my prayer that, as the Government gets down to work, we will not be doing things the same way and expecting different results. Mr. Speaker, Sir, His Excellency the President made a bold statement of his intention on the need for austerity measures and in prudent management of public resources. This statement has only three lines. This country loses a lot of money due to poor management of resources and corruption. There is only one brief statement that cannot be elaborated and I hope it will be dealt with as it is. It is my wish that the Government will promote the fight against corruption. This issue reminds me of the year The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}