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{
    "id": 47772,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/47772/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 315,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Lang’at",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 384,
        "legal_name": "Benjamin Kipkirui Langat",
        "slug": "benjamin-langat"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there are three arms of the Government and, for a very long time, getting proper salaries has been through fighting. Teachers have never got any salary increases except through strikes. It is hoped that this new body will be awake, strategic and listen to the public servants and state officers. We have voted for separation of powers of the three arms of Government. I know it is a constitutional body but my fear is that it could be used, at some later stage, to manage the other arms through the back door. I think we need to look at how to protect the separation of powers, so that we do not use that body to undermine the independence of Parliament and Judiciary. So, I think Members should take care of those issues. We may have a good precedent today but tomorrow, it could be a different story. So, I am only alerting Members that, that is a very good body but, at some point, it might turn into a bad one. So, I will appreciate if Members could really look at whether its independence could be abused at some process. So, we need to have control on how it will handle different arms. We need to have some controls on how it will handle the three different arms of the Government. There are so many state officers who presently enjoy good terms of service and salaries. I think there should be a provision to say that the present terms of service shall not be negated. I believe there was a reason why different state officers are earning their present salaries. Therefore, we should have a provision to say that present terms of service and salary scales should not be negatively interfered with by the new body. They can only work towards betterment of what we have. Their job is to ensure that the terms of service attract the best of the best within the public service and the other arms of the Government. We need to take care, so that it will truly work towards a remuneration scheme that can attract the best of the best. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do not wish to say more than that. I support, subject to the issues I have mentioned."
}