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"speaker_name": "Tigania West, JP",
"speaker_title": "Hon. John Mutunga",
"speaker": {
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"legal_name": "John Kanyuithia Mutunga",
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"content": "also appreciate the commissions that looked at what ought to have been done to look after the life of an MP, after he or she leaves Parliament. This Bill is important because it is coming at a time when there is need to harmonise treatment between MPs. Those MPs who served between 1984 and 2001 are suffering in silence. Even if we are told that they have an association, that association does not necessarily represent them at levels where they can lobby for their issues to be heard. The Mover of this Bill and those of us supporting it, speak to the fact that matters of these important Members – who are voiceless – need to be considered. They did not get into those circumstances because they wanted. Once an MP, always an MP and once an hon. Member, unfortunately always an hon. Member. It is unfortunate to note that honour is linked, to a certain extent, to the status of life one is leading. If you are extremely poor, people fear to call you an hon. Member. I am sorry to use the word “ Mheshimiwa.” It fades away sometimes. Somebody will mention it then they take a breath. What does that tell us? Most of the MPs who served at that time are living through poverty. Poverty, as it has been described in many contexts, is unjust and it does not bestow respect on anyone. It degrades one, it devalues status and it degenerates into everything. So, generally, poverty is what these former MPs go through. It is a state that makes them lose their identity as hon. Members who served their people diligently. Many people go into positions of leadership or seek them for various reasons. There are those who come in diligently prepared to represent their people and change their lives. There are those who come in because they have realised that there are certain things they can do or they have certain qualities that they would like to try out and, therefore, enhance the ability of their people to become better. Most of the Hon. Members who were there in the past – we know them – have represented constituencies in this country and they have done developments that we can see. This Parliament never looked at how they lived as it does now. It is those former Hon. Members who have been able to voice the fact that we need to change the circumstances of former MPs and how they live. That is why we are where we are now. Being in this House of honour, we need to sustain that honour throughout. Therefore, it is important that this amendment goes through, so that we can have, not only harmonisation, but reduce the biases that have been created. These former MPs appear marginalised. We will also be former MPs. I do not want to belabour on that point because many speakers have alluded to it. Something to note is that, former Mps represented a wider geographical area than we do and they had more challenges than we do. We had less tarmacked roads, fewer schools, intense poverty and more people who were needy than we do today. So, they need to be honoured with this pension, so that they can live a decent life in their last few days. Their numbers are also going down fast. If you look at the statistics that we have, we are seeing a rapid change in their numbers. What that tells us is that they are leaving this world very fast. Before we lose all of them, it is important for us to look at how we can enable them to live better in their last days. If you look at a house of an MP, it is a house for everyone. They are forced by circumstances to be hospitable. So, they are people who lived a life of being hospitable. Once a Member of Parliament is not able to offer hospitality, they even suffer psychologically. It is because they are not able to give what they have always been associated with. Earning a salary of"
}