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{
    "id": 603325,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/603325/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 204,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Odhiambo-Mabona",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 376,
        "legal_name": "Millie Grace Akoth Odhiambo Mabona",
        "slug": "millie-odhiambo-mabona"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity. As a very strong supporter of devolution, I am very reluctant to support this Bill. This is because the greatest malady in Kenya in terms of development is the issue of physical planning. If you look at the way the Bill is formulated, it is very weak in terms of the linkage between the county governments and the national Government and their respective roles in physical planning. Having said that, I will support the Bill reluctantly and I hope that I will find time in the midst of my busy schedule to push some amendments. Sometimes I get very sceptical, as a Member of Parliament. I agree largely with a lot of what Hon. Naomi Shaban has said, but I want to depart a little from what she has said about the fact that this law will give us an opportunity to plan. Our poor planning is not a factor of lack of laws. It is just a factor of impunity in this country. We are used to a culture of disobeying laws and even the Constitution that we passed, we do not obey it. So, what this country needs very urgently is to develop a culture of constitutionalism where we respect the Constitution, the laws that we pass and follow the letter, the law and the spirit of the Constitution and the laws that are made under it. Sometimes, I feel that what I should bring is a law called “the commonsense Bill of Kenya, 2015”, because what this country needs is common sense. We pass so many laws, but having passed those laws, we discard them. We have absolutely no regard to the implementation of these laws. This is an extremely beautiful country and we are playing with it. For those of us who have travelled a lot, you never appreciate what you have until you compare it with other countries. We have a country that has potential for being a first class country in the world. But if you look at the way this country is growing, it is an embarrassment. I have spoken to this issue before and I want to repeat that when we visited Botswana and we were walking around and being told the excellent things that are going on there, embarrassingly, they told us that they copied from Kenya in the 60s. What became of Kenya in the 70s, 80s and 90s? We are regressing while others are picking from us and moving forward. Look at Rwanda and Namibia, for instance. Very simple things. That is why I am saying that 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."
}