Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 764949,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/764949/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 167,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Nakara",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2926,
        "legal_name": "John Lodepe Nakara",
        "slug": "john-lodepe-nakara"
    },
    "content": "ensure that the money that is given to public institutions is used well. However, when you leave this House, that honourable name becomes a curse in your life. You will not get a job anywhere. You become a threat to the public and the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). You are dumped in the village. The pension that we are talking about here, I agree with the Members who have spoken that it is better to start with the first term. One spends a lot of money and even after five years, one cannot recover the money he or she used during campaigns. The welfare of Members after they leave this House always gets worse. Some of them die because of lack of a medical cover. As we think about pension, we want to challenge the PSC to ensure, that that scheme is extended to Members once they leave Parliament. We also need to agree that even the amount that is contributed by the Government, plus the contribution from Members’ salaries at the end of 10 years makes a pension that is still low. After deductions, we get peanuts. The way the public and the media judge Members by assuming we only work for two or three days is wrong. We are normally in this House for three days. After these sessions, we go to the offices of Cabinet Secretaries to get opportunities for our people. When you get back to the office, you find a queue of people seeking your services. Therefore, people should not judge Hon. Members based on the three days they work in a week. We must judge a Member of Parliament, in and out of this House, by their performance. If we are only going to pay Members for the three days they work in this House, that would be wrong. We also work outside this House. We always look for other opportunities and ways to help and improve the lives of our people. By giving that service, we are working. We are called upon when our constituents are sick and even when some get involved in accidents. We are always ready to respond in one way or the other. So, let us see how we can cater for the welfare of Members of this Hon. House. The other issue is that Members of Parliament get divided along political affiliations. Whenever we have such kind of issues, I suggest that we play as a team. Such issues affect all of us. We are still going back to what happened to us courtesy of the Sarah Serem-led Commission. When we came here, we used to get car grants. That assisted some Members who had no money to buy cars for utility. Some Members in this Parliament still use private taxis to go home. It is shameful to take away the car grant from Members. We should have it back so that whoever comes in this House does not get sympathy from the President, the way he did to an Hon. Member from Meru. The President bought a car for a Member because he is junior or because he has no money. We are entitled to privileges in this House. Whether you are small, big, connected or not connected, a car grant should be for everybody. Now that the President has bought a car for one Member, what about the rest of us? Let us make a car grant a privilege for everybody, not for the chosen few or the connected few. The issue of the car grant must come back to help the new Members to take off instead of using taxis. One can get involved in an accident in this town. I am better because I am here for the second term, but there are some Members who have no vehicles. They are still using taxis. As I conclude, I want to say that those who have been appointed should represent this House honourably. They must stick to the principles of making the welfare of other Members good. They should not get bribed or given some things and then leave other Members to suffer. They should make sure they are there to represent the other Members of Parliament. Finally, on behalf of Turkana Central and Turkana County, I want to send my condolences to the family of the late Governor of Nyeri and the people of Nyeri for losing a technocrat who wanted to change the life of Nyeri people. I read his background and vision for the county. I felt Nyeri people have lost a good man. 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."
}