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{
    "id": 895402,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/895402/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 245,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Murkomen",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": "exclusive, then let it be exclusive. However, if it is for Kenya, it is important that all of us get involved. My personal contribution to this information is that it must get out from the President and the former Prime Minister, being personalised and from being in a cocoon, that the Building Bridges Initiative team are doing things that are not understood by Kenyans. That way, when the product comes out, it is as good as the process. If the process is good, the product will have the legitimacy to be welcomed and accepted by Kenyans. It is important that we start speaking on the process. If we do not say these things, we may not be able to go where we are going. Madam Temporary Speaker, I heard my friend, Sen. Mwaura who was here, suggesting that in the Building Bridges Initiative, we should create more executive offices so that we can share among communities. I know for sure when they said that we create another five positions to be shared among communities, your community was not in the mind of the Senator. We have 43 communities. When we talk about positions being shared among communities, it is always about the communities that have the biggest numbers. That is Kikuyus, Kalenjins, Luhyas, Luos and Kambas. Now, if we start creating positions for communities, we are the ones who are perpetuating the narrative that this country can only be united if the big tribes can get the satisfaction of some sort in Government. Madam Temporary Speaker, there is a narrative that young people of this country want perpetuated, the one that says that we must build a nation and institutions. To them, our political mobilisation should not be based on our communities; that you will not be judged by the community that you come from and its population; your second or last name or who your mother or father is. We should have a country like other countries in the world where a person from even the smallest community will have an opportunity to lead this country. If that narrative will be perpetuated that unity of this country can only be achieved if the big five communities--- We are missing the point. There should be no “big five” in this country because a Kikuyu who is suffering in Mukurwe-ini does not benefit from the collative numbers of the people of his or her community. He or she is just exactly the same as a Luhya somewhere in Navakholo, a Marakwet somewhere in Tot or a Taita in Holili on the border of Kenya and Tanzania. We must begin to appreciate that the conversation must be about how to better the economy of the country and how to make sure that political competition is based on issues. The conversation must be on how to mobilise discussion and political competition to be about issues. Madam Temporary Speaker, it is no wonder that many people may not appreciate the Building Bridges Initiative. To others, it is about creating positions while to others it is about cleaning our political system. Even with the current constitutional order, there are many things that we can do that unite the country. As politicians, we must get out of this mentality that until Sen. (Prof.) Kamar is holding a particular position, that is the only time that we will certify that the nation is united. We must get out of it because if we build a nation and institutions based on an individual, when that person is not interested in that position or is no longer there, we will have a problem as a country. This is because The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}