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{
"id": 797027,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/797027/?format=api",
"text_counter": 179,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "The Woman Representative for Nairobi County (",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "time with utmost humility and gratitude for the privilege that the great people of Kenya and in particular Nairobi County have bestowed on me. Allow me to bow down in submission to God Almighty, by whose grace we are granted favour and purpose. I live, learn and love because He lives, teaches and loves. Before I continue, I want to pass my condolences to the family of Hon. Grace Kipchoim Member of Parliament for Baringo South. I never knew her but from what I have heard, she was an honourable woman and she served her people well. Going to the elections of 8th August, I am touched by the many Kenyans from diverse economic, ethnic, political and religious backgrounds who kept vigil. They braved the cold weather, queued for long hours, some heavily pregnant, others accompanied by babies, others elderly and frail, youthful and energetic to cast their votes. They did so with expectations to get new leaders or to bring in the old leaders to fight for their rights. It is not important whether one voted for me or not. What is important is that we vote and we continue to vote. Elections in Kenya have been fiery and unfriendly. It is now not important how we go there, but how we get out of there. I celebrate both President Uhuru Kenyatta and the People’s President Raila Odinga, my captain to Canaan, my Baba, and my political mentor for the handshake. I celebrate my Kikuyu grandmother whose wisdom and endurance were invaluable in shaping who I am. Let us seek advice from those who learnt from instincts and not only institutions. I celebrate my Greek father and my Dutch and French mother. Our parentage does not matter. I am a Kenyan. We need to blend, be and build Kenya as one. I celebrate my husband, Pius Ngugi for his acceptance of what he could not change. We were both in separate camps. I am a headstrong woman and I have no apologies. I worked very hard to prove to my two children, Makena and Lefteris that failure is never final but the beginning of a new journey. To my predecessor, Rachel Shebesh, I want to thank her for conceding defeat graciously and handing over the mantle even as she dealt with the loss of her father. She accompanied and accommodated me to learn the ropes. I am a Mombasa girl, born and bred with the diversity of the coastal town. I moved to the capital city in search of independence and greener pastures. Our capital city is for many a home away from home. We must strive to quench the thirst, to thrive and not just to survive by tackling the challenges one by one, two by two until the capital becomes the center of opportunity. My focus as a leader of this great city I have come to call home is to unite the many citizens of this city that are able and Kenyans across all divides to deal with the issue of slums, poor sanitation, insecurity, unemployment, lack of access to medical facilities, street families, mental health, people living with disabilities (PLWDs), drug abuse, increasing crime rate, limited access to financial resources to start businesses to sustain income, lack of water, high cost of living, homelessness, congestion and our environmental challenges. All of these have been brought about by lack of planning and mismanagement of both public resources and positions. I want to peg my leadership agenda on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Vision 2030, Agenda 2063, the Four Pillars of Government namely manufacturing, universal healthcare, housing and food security. Though overwhelming, if the administrative arms of Government are sincere about the handshake, they will embrace all leaders from both Houses and counties so that we can all work together to liberate our country and live up to the aspirations of our freedom fighters. This is because, true freedom is where life feels right and living becomes an inspiration and not a night mare. 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."
}