HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, POST, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"count": 1608389,
"next": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=api&page=154391",
"previous": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=api&page=154389",
"results": [
{
"id": 1562092,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1562092/?format=api",
"text_counter": 268,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Musalia Mudavadi",
"speaker_title": "The Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs",
"speaker": {
"id": 84,
"legal_name": "Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi",
"slug": "musalia-mudavadi"
},
"content": "The terms of reference for the Inter-Agency Technical Committee, amongst others, were as follows: 1. To study the current policies and applicable circulars on designated hardship areas and payment of hardship allowance in the civil service. 2. To undertake a comparative analysis of other existing policies on designated hardship areas and payment of hardship allowance in the public service and other jurisdictions. 3. To study the issues in petitions presented to the National Assembly on the matter of designated hardship areas and payment of hardship allowance to public servants. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
},
{
"id": 1562093,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1562093/?format=api",
"text_counter": 269,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Musalia Mudavadi",
"speaker_title": "The Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs",
"speaker": {
"id": 84,
"legal_name": "Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi",
"slug": "musalia-mudavadi"
},
"content": "4. To study concerns raised by the Union of Kenya Civil Servants regarding designated hardship areas and payment of hardship allowance as provided in the Collective Bargaining Agreement of 2017 and make recommendations on implementation modalities. 5. To address other issues incidental to the matter of designated hardship areas and the payment of allowances thereof. 6. To prepare a report on the study with recommendations on the way forward on categorisation of designated hardship areas and payment of hardship allowances. The Inter-Agency Technical Committee undertook a wide stakeholder engagement in carrying out the study. Some of the stakeholders' engagements by the Committee were face-to- face interviews with officers from the ministries and institutions that I have mentioned. The Technical Committee undertook the following: 1. Field visits to verify findings and reports from the respective Deputy County Commissioners, analysis of socioeconomic data submitted by County Statistics Officers in the areas visited. 2. Literature review on poverty indices from annual economic surveys and reports prepared by the Commission on Revenue Allocation and the Equalisation Fund. The key findings and recommendations of the report were as follows: 1. Some areas currently designated as hardship, or petitioned by stakeholders to be categorised as such were, upon review, found not to be hardship areas. 2. The severity of hardship in the reviewed areas varied from moderate to extreme. 3. Some currently designated hardship areas covered entire counties, sub-counties, or divisions uniformly. However, some regions had only specific locations with moderate or extreme hardship conditions. These areas were reviewed and categorised appropriately. 4. Not all public officers working in hardship areas receive hardship allowances. This is due to disparities in current policy guidelines on designated hardship areas in the public service. 5. Some areas previously designated as hardship have acquired different status following implementation of the devolved system of governance and improved socio-economic development across the country. These have been reviewed and recommended for de-gazettement. 6. The report of the Inter-agency Technical Committee on Review of Designated Hardship Areas and Payment of Hardship Allowance in the Public Service was finalised and submitted to the SRC for concurrence. The SRC reviewed the report, provided approved rates, and will issue advice to the public service on the new rates once the hardship areas are gazetted following this review. 7. The reviewed designated hardship areas have been submitted to the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service for gazettement. However, I would like to add a rider that the Head of Public Service will present the report to the Cabinet before the gazettement is done. That process is currently ongoing."
},
{
"id": 1562094,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1562094/?format=api",
"text_counter": 270,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Musalia Mudavadi",
"speaker_title": "The Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs",
"speaker": {
"id": 84,
"legal_name": "Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi",
"slug": "musalia-mudavadi"
},
"content": "In accordance with Article 232(1)(b) of the Constitution on the Values and Principles of Public Service, which provides for efficient, effective, and economic use of resources, I wish to inform this House that implementation of the Inter-agency Technical Report will reduce the financial implications for payment of hardship allowance from Ksh25.9 billion to Ksh19.5 billion per annum, thereby occasioning a saving of approximately Ksh6.5 billion per annum to the Government and, indeed, to the Kenyan taxpayer. This is as a result of the proposed harmonisation of designated hardship areas in the public service. I urge Parliament to take cognisance of that possible saving if the report is implemented. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
},
{
"id": 1562095,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1562095/?format=api",
"text_counter": 271,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Musalia Mudavadi",
"speaker_title": "The Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs",
"speaker": {
"id": 84,
"legal_name": "Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi",
"slug": "musalia-mudavadi"
},
"content": "Hon. Speaker, a clarification was sought by Parliament on why some civil servants receive hardship allowance while others, working in similar areas or environments, do not. The existing policies applied by various jurisdictions across the public service on designated hardship areas are currently not harmonised, leading to disparities in the payment of hardship allowances. These disparities have led to disharmony among employees of the civil service, teaching service, and the Judiciary deployed in the same geographical regions, with some earning the allowance while others not. Currently, some public servants deployed in the same geographical region receive hardship allowances, while others do not qualify due to inconsistencies in the designation of hardship areas. The civil service, county governments, and State corporations have designated 16 hardship areas; the teaching service has 44 and the Judiciary has 21. So, you can see that we dropped the ball somewhere in this matter."
},
{
"id": 1562096,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1562096/?format=api",
"text_counter": 272,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Musalia Mudavadi",
"speaker_title": "The Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs",
"speaker": {
"id": 84,
"legal_name": "Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi",
"slug": "musalia-mudavadi"
},
"content": "Parliament also sought information on the steps the Government is taking to ensure fairness in the criteria used to determine hardship areas. To promote fairness, equity and parity of treatment for employees in the public service, the Government constituted an Inter-agency Technical Committee, and I have given the profile, to address disparities in the designation of hardship areas. The KNBS provided parameters to guide the Inter-agency Technical Committee in reviewing the designated hardship areas. These parameters included food, water, transport and communication services, social services, climate and terrain, security, and poverty index. In addition, the KNBS provided the weighted criterion for determining hardship areas. As mentioned earlier, this is attached to the Statement. The Inter-agency Technical Committee prepared and submitted to the SRC a report on the categorisation of designated hardship areas and the payment of hardship allowance in the public service. The report proposed that designated hardship areas be categorised into two: moderate and extreme, with varying rates of hardship allowance. The SRC reviewed the rates of hardship allowance for public service in line with the proposed categorisation of the designated hardship areas, and advised the gazettement of the reviewed hardship areas before implementation."
},
{
"id": 1562097,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1562097/?format=api",
"text_counter": 273,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Musalia Mudavadi",
"speaker_title": "The Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs",
"speaker": {
"id": 84,
"legal_name": "Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi",
"slug": "musalia-mudavadi"
},
"content": "In conclusion, I once again thank you for the opportunity to appear before the National Assembly. The Ministry of Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes has prioritised the implementation of the Inter-agency Report that will provide for harmonisation."
},
{
"id": 1562098,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1562098/?format=api",
"text_counter": 274,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Musalia Mudavadi",
"speaker_title": "The Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs",
"speaker": {
"id": 84,
"legal_name": "Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi",
"slug": "musalia-mudavadi"
},
"content": "I submit."
},
{
"id": 1562099,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1562099/?format=api",
"text_counter": 275,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Speaker",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Hon. Millie Odhiambo-Mabona"
},
{
"id": 1562100,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1562100/?format=api",
"text_counter": 276,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Suba North, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Millie Odhiambo-Mabona",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I thank the Prime Cabinet Secretary for giving a very detailed response that includes a historical background. Just like Hon. Jared Okelo’s Constituency, which has parts marked as hardship areas mainly due to flooding, my constituency also has parts marked as hardship areas due to transport and communication challenges. You may recall that I mentioned during the House Business Committee that there is a part in my constituency where one must use a boat or ferry to access the area. If one manages to get a vehicle onto the ferry, they can drive up to a certain point, after which they must use a motorbike. Beyond that, one has to walk, as there are areas where even a motorbike cannot reach. Therefore, for people working in such regions, these are truly hardship areas. I understand so because that is part of my constituency. One of the concerns that Hon. Jared Okello has is that when you have part of a constituency marked as a hardship area and another part not, everybody will want to flood to the hardship designated part. How do we ensure that teachers are not flooded in one hardship area? I have listened to the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs very carefully and I would like to ask about something that is very dear to me The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
},
{
"id": 1562101,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1562101/?format=api",
"text_counter": 277,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Suba North, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Millie Odhiambo-Mabona",
"speaker": null,
"content": "as a representative of Suba North Constituency. Of all the criteria he mentioned, he did not talk about manifestation of diseases caused by tsetse flies. He talked about the climate among other things yet many people are not able to go to a place like Lambwe Valley because of tsetse flies. There is a very good inter-agency technical committee that has a number of people. They have made very clear recommendations. However, I am wondering: at what point does the voice of the legislature and the voice of the people come in when coming up with a comprehensive policy to translate the recommendations to either policy or law so that people do not manipulate? From the numbers he quoted, the Judiciary has less hardship areas than teachers. That should not be the case. Hardship is for everyone. So, when do you want to translate that report into policy or law and where is the voice of the legislature?"
}
]
}