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{
    "id": 504125,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/504125/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 199,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Gichigi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1909,
        "legal_name": "Samuel Kamunye Gichigi",
        "slug": "samuel-kamunye-gichigi"
    },
    "content": "association is “Parliamentary Society of Kenya”, let it not only be for former Members but also for sitting Members. I am happy that I have mentioned this to the sponsor of the Bill and he is agreeable that, that is an amendment we can suggest. Number two, is that we also need to think of how we prepare the current Members for life outside Parliament. I have seen former Members like Njoki Ndung’u, Elias Mbau and Mututho. You know, if you actually have a certain skill, talent, strength or even academic qualification, it is good for us to exploit it when we are in this House, and when you go out there, you will become an expert of sorts. We do not let the strengths that we have as Members rust and disappear when we are in this House. This, probably, needs to come out in this Bill; we need to recognise skills of sitting Members, and use them here and when we go out there. These include the professional skills that we have. I am aware that the greatest benefit that a person who works in Government gets sometimes is, probably, not the salary alone but the training that officers of Government go through. We have a bit of a problem in this House, in that we are taken to know our business; once induction is given to us, we go on retreats to do Committee work. I think it is important that we start looking at our budget and see how we can strengthen the capacity of current Members in this House. This is so that when we go out there, we will not only become better representatives of the people in this House, but will also become recognised for the certificates we will have acquired when in Parliament. It is very sad that some of us will come to this House and the only certificate that one has is the one from the Returning Officer. By the time you go out of this House, you do not have any new certificate. It is important that our capacity be improved when we are in this House. Since we have a say in the Budget, we need to ensure that we use it to improve the skills of the Members of Parliament, not only in debates, but also in other aspects. We also need to think, perhaps, as we create the Parliamentary Square, of a club of some sort; it can be factored in the Budget, so that we do not just think of going out there, suffering or going back into our pockets. Finally, I would want to have a situation where current Members also contribute something to make this society a success. Most of the people who have been targeted in these provisions in the Bill are those who could be suffering out there. Now that we have a salary here and a good number of us are strong economically, let us think of what we can do in the society to generate income and benefit when we join it. My strongest proposal is that we feature current Members in it prominently. I support."
}