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{
    "id": 991615,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/991615/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 461,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nyeri Town, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Ngunjiri Wambugu",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13460,
        "legal_name": "Martin Deric Ngunjiri Wambugu",
        "slug": "martin-deric-ngunjiri-wambugu"
    },
    "content": "v) The Hon. Major (Rtd.) Bashir Abdullaih, M.P. w) The Hon. Teddy Mwambire, M.P. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, we are going on recess after the end of today and I was listening to the Leader of Majority keenly. One of the things that will be happening over the next four weeks is that a lot of our established committees will be dealing with the pandemic. Today, as a country, we have over 500 confirmed infected cases. In the last 24 hours, we have had 47 people infected, the highest spike. The COVID-19 pandemic will not wait for us to come back after 30 days. The challenge we have is that we have a crisis that does not fit into any of the existing structures of how we engage, not just as a House, but also even as a country. For the first time, school children are at home and religious institutions are closed. I do not know in the history of this country if we have ever had a situation where religious institutions are closed. I do not know whether we have ever had a situation where the whole country is on curfew for over 21 days, public service vehicles (PSVs) operating at 60 per cent and businesses closed. When I walk around, I get the people I represent doing everything they can to survive this pandemic. They ask me as their Member of Parliament what I am doing to help them. We have many Committees in the House. I am a Member of the Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security. We have very strong and powerful Committees in the House. But, we have a crisis that has the capacity to affect an average of six to seven departmental Committees at the same time. Let me give the example of the mask. Right now every Kenyan is expected to wear a mask. Let us assume we have 40 million masks out there. At some point we will have to figure out what to do with them. The person who decided that every Kenyan needs to wear a mask is the Ministry of Health. The person enforcing everybody to wear a mask is the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government. The person who is supposed to tell us the quality of the mask we are supposed to wear is the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives. The person who is supposed to ensure that once a mask is used is disposed effectively is either the Ministry of Health or Ministry of Environment and Forestry. We are in a situation where Kenyans are being told that if they are not wearing a mask they will be arrested. A gentleman who is part of street children in my constituency told me that he could not afford a mask. We have passed a law that says that he must wear a mask, but we have not told him the kind of mask he is supposed to wear. If he takes a headscarf to cover his mouth and nose would he be arrested? Most likely he will not. But is he fulfilling the expectations of that mask? He is not."
}