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{
    "id": 776139,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/776139/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 62,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ng’ongo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 110,
        "legal_name": "John Mbadi Ng'ong'o",
        "slug": "john-mbadi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Speaker. The Motion before us is to make appointments today in form of voting to have in place Members who are going to form the PSC and who will take care of the interest of Members of Parliament. This is a very unique commission. It is unique in the sense that it is the only commission that the provisions of Article 259 or Article 260 do not really affect directly in terms of tenure. That a Member of this Commission, especially those who are appointed pursuant to Article 127(2) of the Constitution, can serve in the Commission for more than six years. I was pointing out that because I heard a number of my colleagues asking why some Members who have been in this Commission for five years or more are still being included yet commissioners are supposed to serve for a maximum of six years. Allow me to say the following: Hon. Angwenyi was not attentive. I have just said some Hon. Members were wondering why some Members are being re-appointed to this Commission and yet they have served for more than six years. I have said this Commission is unique in terms of Article 127(2) of the Constitution because the Chairperson of this Commission is permanently the Speaker. Whether the Speaker likes it or not, he has to chair this Commission. The Speaker maybe the Speaker for even 20 years, and so he would sit with the Commission and so are the Members of Parliament of both the National Assembly and the Senate. As the Leader of the Majority Party rightly put it, the Commission’s responsibility is to look at the Members’ welfare in terms of provision of services. Today we are appointing men and women who we believe have confidence to serve us in this Commission together with three other Members, including the Speaker. They will ensure that Members are provided with services and facilitated well. Kenyans need to listen to this carefully: the Commission’s responsibility is to look at the welfare of Members of Parliament, the facilities they use, the services they need in order to discharge their duties and responsibilities. If any commissioner, including the Speaker of the National Assembly who is the Chairman of this Commission, speaks about the welfare of Members or services being provided to Members, it should not be seen as if he is making a personal statement or communicating a personal idea but, rather, speaking for people that he or she represents as a commissioner. And any commissioner must protect the interest of the jurisdiction that, that commission covers. If it is the Judicial Service Commission (JCS), you will see the Chief Justice (CJ) leading the team and defending the independence, integrity, budget, welfare, salaries, remuneration, name it, of the judges and magistrates, because that is the work for which they are put there. Therefore, when the Speaker of the National Assembly and his team will also be defending the interest of Members, it should be understood in that context. In terms of agreeing on the membership of this Commission, both the leadership of the Majority and Minority are now in agreement. We must agree that at times people have different ideas; people must sometimes disagree. But you must also be alive to the fact that you will not always get what you want. Therefore, as NASA coalition, I want to confirm that we have The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}