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"id": 504078,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/504078/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Mwaura",
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"speaker": {
"id": 13129,
"legal_name": "Isaac Maigua Mwaura",
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"content": "” So, everywhere and every instance you engage with them, you are not spending money that is for development. You are spending money from your own pocket. How will you invest and yet, those are the same people who, 80 per cent do not make it back to Parliament? If you look at the way this Bill is drafted, it is very timely. It creates a body that would be responsible for Members of Parliament who have served this country. However, I would want to suggest that we enhance this Bill by ensuring that the first priority for those who are going to be recruited as staffers of that board should be former Members of Parliament. We should not even shy away. Sometimes, we are accused of favouring ourselves. However, let us be honest with one another. What is it that you get from the salary here? The most you can get is a mortgage which you pay with the whole of your salary, a car and, maybe, one or two loans. After that, the pay slips of most Members of Parliament read zero. So, how would you survive? Every other instance, you have to spend resources. The resources you are supposed to spend are what are construed as development. So, I would want to suggest that we, as a House, should propose a monthly stipend. That is because the dignity of former Members of Parliament can only be reinstated not just by counselling them, but also by giving them some money every month so that they do not come here to beg. They should not be seen to be dependent on other people. They should also hold their own meetings. After we leave this House, the community will still call you a Mheshimiwa. The community will still want you to go and participate in Harambees, funerals and all those kind of things. So, it is an unfortunate fall from grace to grass. It is also very unfortunate to live a life where you had been catapulted and all of a sudden, you have nothing. So, I, therefore, want to propose that when we are making the amendments to this Bill, we say boldly that a minimum of about US$1000 as a stipend be paid to former Members of Parliament. I have made a quick calculation. Since Independence, according to the Members with whom we have interacted with here, there are about 1,000 former Members of Parliament. The argument would be that we are burdening the taxpayer. However, it is only coming to about Kshs.90,000,000 per month. This country can afford that so that those people can be engaged to continue contributing to the society. If we were not to do that, then we are saying that whatever knowledge, information and growth that you have gotten from being in this august House cannot contribute further. I also agree with the Mover because the nature of our political parties is to ensure that in each and every election, there are new novices who can easily be manipulated - people who are ‘yes’ men and women. That is the nature of our political leaders. So, if you “grow horns”, appear to know one, two or three things or if you are seen to be developing some ambition, you must be clipped at the bud. The easiest way to clip the ambition is to ensure that you do not get nomination even if you have won on the ground. I may be a first-time nominated Member of Parliament, but I have been in a political party for over eight years and so, I can say this authoritatively. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, this is the time I would want to urge fellow Members of Parliament that we must rise to the occasion to ensure that we protect our dignity. We must rise to ensure that we show the country that there is something we The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}