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{
"id": 440315,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/440315/?format=api",
"text_counter": 391,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Kanyua",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 981,
"legal_name": "Priscilla Nyokabi Kanyua",
"slug": "priscilla-nyokabi-kanyua"
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"content": "the first time in the life of our country, we have Cabinet Secretaries who are not Members of Parliament. It is really a new system and new phenomena. But even as we say that we do have many Statements and many issues in our counties that we need the Cabinet Secretaries to be responding to--- I support the Report by the Procedure and House Rules Committee. I support the innovations that they have brought up in terms of actualizing our oversight work and in terms of actualizing what the Cabinet Secretaries do. I also support that they guide us further on the use of time. If you look at the Statements that we have had in this House and this has been an ongoing debate in the House Business Committee, we spend about an hour every other day on Statements. If we continue that system, it may not be possible to get what we want to achieve from the Cabinet Secretaries. I support the move where Statements are written and given in good time, so that Cabinet Secretaries can respond to them. In many other jurisdictions, members speak for three or five minutes. In our own profession; the legal profession, verbosity is actually discouraged. In fact, I am surprised that it is only on the Floor of the House where Members are encouraged to be very verbose. I do not know why in politics people are encouraged to say many things, to give examples, to go round, to go sideways, to go wherever, before they make the point that they want to make. We are asking that from now onwards, you do not go sideways, you do not go round, you do not circle around, you say what you are saying. Coming from the civil society, again where honesty is encouraged and where honesty is not punished, I would request Members, as we ask for these Statements, just ask what you want to ask. There is no need of hiding. You should not ask for “y” when you mean to ask for “x”. When Cabinet Secretaries come here we need to be very direct while asking them questions. This way, other Members can follow what you are asking. Members of the public too can also understand what we are asking. As you know, Question Time in the House of Commons is one of the most watched sessions. We are hoping that with the new Standing Orders and the actualization of Article 53 of the Constitution, the session for Cabinet Secretaries will be one where Kenyans will benefit from the issues that we raise. As I conclude, I also want to say that this will be very helpful to the Cabinet Secretaries. It is, indeed, very important that we see the work that they are doing. We have been accused of using gender card, but I cannot help using a gender card in the case of Cabinet Secretary, Ann Waiguru, because of the accusations about her. If the Cabinet Secretaries are brought here and people can see their work and how they talk, the rumours on arrogance will no longer be there. You can ask the question that you want to ask and whether the Cabinet Secretary is arrogant or not, your question will be answered here. So, the particular rules that we are adopting today will be very beneficial to the Cabinet Secretary under the Jubilee Government. They will be able to tell us the strategic interventions. They will be able to give us data and statistics. They can give us progress reports. Our performance and oversight, as the Eleventh National Assembly, will really be improved."
}