Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 691434,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/691434/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 213,
    "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": "office for Mbita people every week. I have told you in Mbita I have 60 people dying per month and I am not exaggerating. Half of my salary goes to funerals. I am sure the Member who represents the county of Homa Bay, Hon. Gladys will tell you the same. We have a very high mortality rate. I am just talking about funerals; it is not realistic what we are providing here. On the other hand, we are also faced with another challenge, sometimes I am called for 15 fundraisings in one weekend and the next weekend I have one or two. As an MP, I would really love it if we had a more structured way of assisting communities with fundraisings but not in the framework within which it is provided. If you also look at Clause 20, it excludes MPs, MCAs and governors, but leaves the President and Deputy President, other officers and our own opponents who will be going around fundraising while you sit and watch. We did not come to watch buildings in Nairobi. We are politicians; my opponent will not be fundraising in Mbita while I pray like the Hon. Member has told us ‘God be merciful’. I am a Christian of both SDA and pentecostal extract. In both I am told to be very humble in giving. But, since I got into politics, I have learnt to put humility while fundraising because if I am humble God will be merciful to me but the pubic will not be equally as merciful as God. They will send me back home. I must fundraise and say how much I have fundraised and given, if you are in the business of politics that is the reality in Kenya. We must say what we have given. If you are not saying it your opponent will be busy saying and the rest will say Mhe . is not helping us while others are helping us. We cannot pretend we are in competition while leaving others going ahead for us. We understand the challenges the Senators are going through. The counties are extremely large and I really sympathise and empathise with them. If I can feel it as an MP who has a smaller geographical area, I know how much more they must be feeling with a wider geographical area. This is not the way to go about it. What they need to do is to persuade us. We have allowed them through this Parliament to have a little money to do some work. If that is not sufficient, they need to plead for more. We cannot have a situation where we shot ourselves in the foot. I personally will not support it in its frame but I would wish to support it with absolute amendments providing a simpler structured way at the village level and constituency level at the highest. There is no reason of putting a fundraising committee at the county level. It should stop at the constituency level and should be less formal. If you are fundraising for money, why put a committee which you are going to pay? We need that money for fundraising. If the Government has so much money, it should put it in cash transfers. This weekend I was in Mbita Constituency and the old men from Usawo to Ngodhe and everywhere in Mbita were asking me where the cash transfer of that area is. Give that money you want to pay this committee to elderly people, orphans and vulnerable children and to bursaries. We cannot put administrative structures to add money to people who are able while we leave poorer people. I will only support the Bill with amendments. Without amendments, I cannot support it."
}