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{
    "id": 836883,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/836883/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 210,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nominated, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Ms.) Cecily Mbarire",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 78,
        "legal_name": "Cecily Mutitu Mbarire",
        "slug": "cecily-mbarire"
    },
    "content": "to also procure a house that we could use today to finance most of the embassies. I hope that going forward we can change our strategy in terms of how to manage these offices. One, it does not make sense that we continue to pay rent for offices and staff houses instead of us thinking of mortgaging some offices and houses there. At the end of the day, there is no one day Kenya will be without an office in the USA or London. Therefore, if we can have permanent houses and offices for our staff, in the long run we will spend less than we are spending right now. Right now, we are putting money down the drain. I am also concerned about delays in release of Exchequer or remitting of finances by Treasury to these embassies. You can imagine when we are unable to pay our bills and staff on time, when we have debtors knocking our doors every other day; it gives a very bad image. These embassies are very critical for the nation. I hope even that can be properly taken care of. What I would want this Committee to do—and I hope the chairman is hearing this—is to go beyond this great report you have written, because we will support it today. It will be important that at some point there be a joint meeting of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Treasury and the Committee so that we can agree in the next couple of years how much money we can give for what purposes and in what missions so that we can come up with a strategic plan of how to empower our missions abroad, so that this Report does not become one of those that we just pass and nothing is done about them. Finally, I hope also that the proposal to give Kenyans out there a chance to do internship in those offices, may be at a lower cost or for free, will be taken care of so that they can get a chance to learn and get experience in a homely environment and in that way also help the nation go forward. I hope all Members present here support."
}