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"content": "societies, can determine who will rule after an election because you are supposed to leave that to the voters. Adolph Hitler predicted that the Third Reich would rule for 1,000 years. Thank God he did not go for more than 10 years. If he had ruled for more, the world would be a worse place to be. Once you say that you are going to rule for 10 or 30 years, you begin to prepare the means so that the prediction can be brought to pass. It means that the business of governing for the benefit of the people does not exist. The great saying by Abraham Lincoln, that: “Democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people.” This is a statement that in a kleptocracy like Kenya, cannot survive. This is because elections and power always revolve around those who control the economy and use it not for the benefit of the people but for the benefit of the ruling class. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, when I came to Parliament for the first time, I did not have a regular job or a house. I was just out of college. When I came to this Parliament, we were earning Kshs4,000 a month, with a weekly allowance of about Kshs1,500. Luckily, within a year, it was increased to about Kshs8,500. It was easier to live at that time because when I went to my constituency, nobody expected you to fundraise and that if you were stopped at a market, you would splash money around. People there would be asking you about what debate took place in Parliament or talk about their problems in the constituency or district. At that time, it was then easy for people like my colleague, Mwachofi, to conduct a whole campaign on a bicycle and I was there to see it. This also applies to my friend, Abuya Abuya, who was here for several years. Then, it was possible to offer leadership even if you did not have a working professional job. I hope that in enacting this legislation, we will change the political culture. This culture was beginning to spread in countries across Africa which did not know about harambees. I remember one time I had a guest who had come to visit. He was a Minister in the South African Government. As we talked in my office, she saw the number of people coming in asking for money for harambees. She then went to the village and said that if she was a Kenyan, she would not be a politician. She thanked God she was South African. In fact, in South Africa, because of their system of professional representation, you are assigned a constituency. Her constituency was within – I do not know the place in South Africa where they have dormitories for minors and so on. She was a little bit uncomfortable about representing that particular constituency. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, by the time this Bill becomes part of the laws of Kenya, of course, with the necessary amendments, we will begin the journey of trying to change the political culture in this country, so that this country gets the leadership it deserves. That way, parliamentarians will spend more time in Parliament more than outside wondering how to go home over the weekend. During debates in this Parliament, like those regarding Bills, we used to speak endlessly because time was always available since we were never in a hurry. We never hurried the business of the House because nobody was dying to go out there and knock offices. Our business was here in Parliament. It was to debate and so on. 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."
}