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{
    "id": 800858,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/800858/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 70,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Baya",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13373,
        "legal_name": "Owen Yaa Baya",
        "slug": "owen-yaa-baya"
    },
    "content": "I would like to contribute on the Presidential Address and focus particularly on paragraph 109 where the President emphasises that when he shook hands with the former Prime Minister and leader of Opposition in this country, he ushered in a new dawn, a dawn where this country needs to come together in unity and strength and inclusivity, so that this country will continue to be glued together and become one. Every citizen in this country, despite his political party and political aspiration, will be considered as a member of this country without any prejudice. I would like to speak on the matter of appointment to State corporations. You realise that State corporations, which are littered across the country have, for many years, been dominated by leadership from the regions where they operate. I see an opportunity for this country to come together in presidential appointments to those corporations. But as I speak here, out of the many corporations and parastatals that exist in this country, the region that is called Coast - especially the Mijikenda people - have been left out in State corporations appointments. If you go to the Coast today, we have around six State corporations based in that region and whose resources are managed by people from the region. Suffice to say, Coast has the Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Maritime Authority, Coast Water Services Board, Coast Development Authority and the Kenya Ferry Services, but none of the people from the region manages those organisations. The only parastatal that was being managed by a daughter of the Coast is Kenya Ports Authority (KPA). But as I speak now, she was forced out of office on allegations of inefficiency. We have had State corporations mismanaged in this country and yet, those people still stay in office. When they are replaced, they are replaced by people from the region. Today, Coast Water Services Board, which is a corporation that manages water in the region, is managed by somebody from another region who does not even understand the geography of the area. Kenya Maritime Authority is managed by someone who does not even know how to dive in the ocean. Coast Development Authority, which manages the development of the Coast itself, is managed by individuals that are not from the region. As a people from the region, we feel that the unity and cohesion that we talk about and which the President addressed in this Chamber, is only important in certain regions but not in others. In other words, George Orwell said that others are more equal than other people. In the spirit of national healing and reconciliation, in order to bring dignity and integration and inclusivity in this country, I call upon the department that manages State corporations to review appointments to those corporations so that sons and daughters of certain regions are given the opportunity to manage those corporations. I thank you, Hon. Speaker."
}