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{
    "id": 60277,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/60277/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 261,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Prof. Olweny",
    "speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Education",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 122,
        "legal_name": "Patrick Ayiecho Olweny",
        "slug": "patrick-olweny"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we should implement the Constitution to the letter. We should have good political goodwill which must come from the two Principals. They should consult. I will remind them of what happened last month. If they do not consult, things will not work out. This Parliament is not a rubberstamp. It will not just pass things that are pushed here if they do not consult well and if Parliament feels that whatever is being brought here is not good for this country. We shall return whatever they will not have agreed on back to them. For the implementation of the Constitution, our leaders should be faithful. We want political goodwill. Our leaders should be truthful and everybody should consult so that we can implement the Constitution that will help this country. All of us are here to help in legislation. Implementation of the Constitution is part of our business here and I think we shall do it. However, we shall not do it simply to rubber-stamp what certain individuals in this country want done their way. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is high time this country avoided issues that embarrass us. If you look at the hunger situation in Turkana and some Arid and Semi Arid Lands (ASAL) of this country, it is pathetic. Hunger is something that can be avoided. In this country, we have a lot of food. In my constituency alone, we have so much rice which has not been bought by the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) or the Ministry in charge of relief; the Special Programmes Ministry and yet Kenyans are dying of hunger. Famine can be prevented because Kenya has water and we can do irrigation and produce more food. So, we need to be more serious. We should not allow Kenyans to die the way they are dying in Turkana. Hunger is not a disease and neither is it an emergency; it comes gradually. It starts with drought, then the stock of food goes down and then people have too little to eat and finally totally nothing to eat. That is when somebody dies of hunger. It takes a long time for the body to switch off because of lack of food. We know of people who have undergone hunger strikes and it takes them a long time to die. So, it is unfortunate that this is happening in this country. We should do a little bit more as a Government to stop the preventable calamities that we can handle because other people are handling them across the world. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have heard a few of my colleagues criticizing the Government for having put up an advertisement in the newspapers calling for contractors to start doing the county offices. I think it is in order. We should be ready to have the devolved system of Government which is coming next year after the elections. If we do not put up the offices today and the elections are done next year, where are they going to have their offices? Where are they going to have their county assemblies and rooms to hold their meetings? Unless we put up those facilities then we shall be faced with those problems next year. Next year when the county governments are elected, it will be too late to put up the infrastructure. I wish to oppose those who are criticizing the Government for putting in place mechanisms to have the infrastructure done for the devolved Government next year. Thank you. I beg to support."
}