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{
    "id": 833639,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/833639/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 258,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, even as we move along, I am glad to know that the Bill talks about English and Swahili being used, although my good friend, Senator Cheruiyot, has refuted that. However, it needs to remain as it is. It is not by chance that the Constitution recognizes English and Swahili as the official languages of this country. I challenge him to show us any county that has the geographical compactness of only one community or vernacular language, such that we can then say that in that county, if we present things officially in one language, apart from English or Swahili, nobody from any other part of this country will be inconvenienced or feel excluded. This is very deliberate, because we are living in a country where people speak vernacular in government offices. That does not bring us together, as a people; it divides us. Madam Temporary Speaker, I am on record saying that if there is that old woman from the village who can only express herself in that vernacular language, let us provide translation services for the person. That is encouraged. We are even moving to Swahili as the language for Africa; how can we then regress, as a country, to say that, “Oh, let us use Kikuyu in Murang’a;” or, “let us use Maasai in Kajiado” when it is already cosmopolitan? Madam Temporary Speaker, the County Governments Act of 2012 talks about not having more than 70 per cent of people employed in a county coming from the same dominant community. Devolution was never supposed to create ethnic balkanization in this country; that this one is for Nandi or Kipsigis or Luhya. Even within the Luhya Community, we say: “This one is the Samia or Isukha.” Devolution was supposed to, in recognizing our diversity, bring us closer together as a country by making sure that every part of this country gets a bite of the pie or taste of the cake. Therefore, I would refute any such amendment. Let us stick to our official languages. The former President, Daniel arap Moi, said that multi-partism and vernacular stations would divide us further. I do not agree on the part of multi-partism, although it has, and which is why building bridges is very important. We should remember to see each other not just Kikuyu or Kamba or Luhya, but as Kenyans. In as much as we have different shades and cultures; that a Maasai dreams in much the same way as a Kamba does. The hopes of the Kikuyu are not against the aspirations of the Luo. We have more that unites us, as a people, than what divides us. When you are riding in a matatu and it is tuned into Inooro F.M ., Ramogi FM,"
}