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"content": "We literally run their lives. The issue of pressure on us will not be resolved by more money. It will be resolved by interventions, like what this Bill is trying to do. It we build more roads, so that people can have their goods access markets faster and improve our agriculture and modernize it, so that even peasant farmers can make a living out of what they do, the pressure on politicians to finance funerals, weddings and birthdays and build schools, hospitals and mortuaries will cease. In Canada and the United Kingdom (UK), for example, it is very easy to meet your Member of Parliament. It is not like here where we are firewalled. Some of our constituents even never get an opportunity to see us, not because we do not want to see them, but because the structures here are so rigorous that it is almost impossible for an ordinary person to walk from Tharaka-Nithi and come here to see their Senator. This is because, first and foremost, if you do not do that, the entire Tharaka-Nithi will have to come here to see their Senator, not that he will ask for more money for the county for roads, agriculture and other things, but they either have a funeral, harambee, wedding, birthday, medical bill, et cetera. I am not a fun of giving Western countries as an example. However, the reality is that in the developed world, it is very easy to see your Member of Parliament, Senator or Governor. In fact, you call them to your house. If you are a voter you say: “Mr. M.P. I would like to see you. Can you come over to my house this evening?” He will come running with a notebook. The reason as a voter you want to see your leader is because you want to tell him about a bridge that is not working, a road that needs repair or a Bill that you think can improve the economy. The only thing that you cannot do to your leader in this country is to ask for even one pound, or one dollar of their personal resources. That is why even that leader will come running. You will never ask them for money. Madam Temporary Speaker, we are gobbling up a lot of public finances thinking that we are solving the problem. I have argued and will continue arguing that even if we pay political leaders Kshs5 million, it will never be enough. What the Judges are earning is merely what the Judges of international courts and tribunals are earning. In a poor country like Kenya, what the Executive is earning is a lot of money. A certain cadre of civil servants, from a certain job group is earning obscene amounts of money. We must say no to recurrent expenditure; it does not matter how politically risky it is. If we want this country to prosper, the only people who need their terms improved are the low- ranking civil servants who are the backbone of our economy. They spend a lot of time and energy supporting the economy, but for very little. That is why they are demoralized. We need to pay a bit more to our policemen, nurses, extension officers and those kinds of people. Madam Temporary Speaker, county assemblies and county governments are asking; “why are you being so hard on us?” Our argument is simple. The fact that for over 50 years we have created a monster of untramelled and uncontrolled appetite for recurrent expenditure is not a justification for county governments to copy, adopt and pursue the bad financial habits of the national Government. As fresh and new entities of 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."
}