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{
    "id": 645364,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/645364/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 123,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ochieng’",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2955,
        "legal_name": "David Ouma Ochieng'",
        "slug": "david-ouma-ochieng"
    },
    "content": "The country we live in is sick because the soul of the country has been eaten by ethnicity. The soul of the country has also been eaten by corruption. The soul of the country has been eaten by a winner-take-all syndrome. So, when the President speaks to this country, we expect that he will not only address brick and mortar issues, but he will address the soul of the nation and how to make it better and healthy. The state of the nation has never been weaker. It is weaker than any time because as much as we applaud ourselves in having built a couple of things, the glue that gels this country together is missing. We are always fighting. Kenyans want us to solve their problems and not to fight all the time. Every time Members speak on this Floor, the idea is to respond to so and so and to say that what so and so is saying is wrong. We cannot lead the country that way. The President must ensure that in his speeches and actions, he is trying to bring the soul of the country back. Mark Twain said that patriotism means supporting your country all the time but supporting your government only when it deserves it. So, we cannot all want to support this Government all the time. We will support it when it deserves. All of us have a stake in having this country and this Government succeed. When it succeeds all of us succeed. When it does not, all of us hurt. You cannot run a country by leaving others behind and hoping they will catch up. You must run the country by carrying everyone else along. Like it has been said elsewhere, we are all in this together and we must move along if this country is to be one. So, in our speeches and in whatever we do as leaders, my desire and plea would be that we have one country called “Kenya”. We do not have another one. We must all work to build it. We can only build it if we listen to each other. Sometimes, the best expression of patriotism is in critiquing. The President cannot say he listens to the Opposition and what he calls ‘alternative society’ when he does not do whatever these people talk about. You cannot be a President who says you accept criticism but you do not listen to those who critique you. We must listen to each other and learn to dialogue if we are to run this country and go far. This is where I want this country to go. I hope the President and his handlers will allow this country to move in the right direction. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, we have done a couple of things in the last three years. We cannot keep on comparing the current Government with the previous one all the time. This is a new Government. We cannot keep on comparing it with the Grand Coalition Government. That is not the way the world works. Do what you are supposed to do if you have been voted into Government. This Government should reduce the volume of public relations gimmicks. Reduce the volume of noise and work. Kenyans will see if you work. You do not need to keep on telling them “we have done this and that.” Kibaki and Raila did not have to do that because what they did was being seen. So, reduce the volume and work for Kenyans. The situation is hurting and we cannot keep on making noise. If you believe that the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is a good idea that you inherited from the previous regime, make it better. You cannot make it better by exporting our jobs. I wish I had time. The Numerical Machining Complex Limited is able to produce bolts and nuts. What happened? We exported these jobs to China. When we bought pipes for irrigation, we exported our jobs to China. When we buy bitumen and all these things, we export jobs to the supplying countries. We must work towards building this country and creating jobs, so that we can solve problems that we have. Kenyans are frustrated. The gap between the rich and the poor is widening. Kenyans think that we do not care about them. We need to work towards addressing those issues. 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."
}