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"id": 813337,
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"speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
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"legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this chance. I rise to support this Bill based on the foundations that I have learnt of late while serving as a commissioner of the Parliamentary Service Commission. I have had the opportunity to understand the challenges that leaders go through as they serve in office and the fact that a very small group of people actually understand the burden placed on people who serve in high offices, in whichever capacity and positions. Therefore, for us to be legislating today and putting into consideration the benefits and entitlements for Members who served in offices as high as that of the Deputy President, is extremely important. This is because many people do not get the chance to occupy these offices and may not know the burdens placed upon these individuals who have had the opportunity to serve as Deputy or Vice President in this country. Nobody understands the burden and the weight of the decisions they make, whenever they are in office. Yet, when they leave office, thanks to political whims and other considerations, many times nobody remembers the sacrifices they made and the challenges they went through. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is important that we ring-fence it by an Act of Parliament, that having served in such and such a position, it is important that you get a specified entitlement. Similarly, if there is need to either reduce or increase these entitlements, this Bill proposes the setting up of this Committee which, in my opinion, is fairly balanced and has a good representation. You may remember the times we had a few months ago, during the debate about the entitlements of the NASA Coalition leaders. If this Committee existed then, away from the political noise that would have been witnessed outside there, the team would have considered the requests being made by the former occupants of these offices and they would have given their thoughts to it. Subsequently, I believe that they would have received their entitlements without undue delay or anyone being told that they must speak or do certain things for them to enjoy those benefits. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the reason I speak like this is because when I was still new, as Member of Parliament (MP), one of the things that I used to struggle with is to battle public opinion and try to always get favorable comments from the members of the public whenever I did anything. That is the burden of leadership. Little did I know that with time, I would come to realise that Parliaments world over are not popular with the populace. Westminster is not popular; Lok Sabha is not popular with its population in India and neither is the Kenyan Parliament. You will always see a hue and cry in the newspapers when there is a small entitlement or when something has been passed for MPs. You would think that the people who deserve the least amount of entitlement in this Country are MPs, yet I do not know a job – at least, I have not done any in my lifetime – that is as difficult as being an MP. In fact, many people wrongly believe and imagine that people come to Parliament to make money. I am interested to know where that money is. If you do the sum total of what people earn vis a vis what they spend to remain in Parliament, you realize that it is like a cocaine racket chase. People are hooked on it but they do not understand why. Many have the burden of leadership and feel the need to serve their constituents or do something better because leadership is a calling. Therefore, The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}