{"count":1608389,"next":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=137825","previous":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=137823","results":[{"id":1394651,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1394651/?format=json","text_counter":369,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Ferdinand Wanyonyi","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":2065,"legal_name":"Ferdinard Kevin Wanyonyi","slug":"ferdinard-kevin-wanyonyi"},"content":"(Kwanza"},{"id":1394652,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1394652/?format=json","text_counter":370,"type":"heading","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":","},{"id":1394653,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1394653/?format=json","text_counter":371,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"FORD-K): Thank you very much for this opportunity. At the onset, I support this Bill. First and foremost, all Members of this House have seen a number of things. Firstly, we have had the position of chief administrative secretaries since Independence. We have had assistant ministers assigned duties by cabinet ministers because a cabinet minister could not be available all through. Apart from permanent secretaries, assistant ministers used to perform duties on behalf of cabinet ministers. Therefore, this is not new. Maybe, the only mistake is that His Excellency the President appointed more chief administrative secretaries than the existing cabinet secretaries. Otherwise, chief administrative secretaries are equivalent to assistant ministers in the previous dispensation. We have had this before. Whatever we are doing here is to have efficiency in running Government. They are there because we want efficiency in running Government institutions. Secondly, there is no way you can say that people have been appointed because they did not go through the elections. Some did not go through the elections, which is still okay. However, I am sure that the method that His Excellency the President will use to appoint the chief administrative secretaries will result in people who know the work and can work on behalf of Kenyans. It is wrong for us to start making noise. These are positions which have existed before. An example is the Head of the Public Service. You and I know that these positions have been there. Only a person who does not know what happens in Government can say that this is a political appointment. For example, the Office of Head of Public Service has been there. We want an efficiently run Government in this country. The only amendment we may do is to create a position of the Custodian of the Public Seal. Much as I support it, we will amend the Bill during the Committee of the whole House to introduce that office because some people are saying that only a lawyer can be the custodian of the Public Seal. The Head of Public Service may not necessarily be a lawyer. Therefore, the Attorney-General may still have to hold the Public Seal. We will do some of these things during the Committee of the whole House. Without wasting time and making noise, we are making the running of this country efficient. We are not creating this just for the sake of it. We may have some amendments during the Committee of the whole House, which is acceptable, and we move on. Thank you very much. I support this Bill."},{"id":1394654,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1394654/?format=json","text_counter":372,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Farah Maalim","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":{"id":16,"legal_name":"Farah Maalim Mohamed","slug":"farah-maalim"},"content":" Next is Hon. Basil, who will be followed by Hon. Irene Mayaka. Order, Hon. Members. It is a privilege to catch the Speaker’s eye. It is not a right. It is a privilege. Relax. Not everybody catches the Speaker’s eye. The Speaker has to do much balancing. The Speaker has to balance between both sides of the aisle in the House as he considers other interests like gender and regions. They have to be considered. That is not for debate. Proceed, Hon. Basil."},{"id":1394655,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1394655/?format=json","text_counter":373,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Yatta, WDM","speaker_title":"Hon. Robert Basil","speaker":null,"content":" Hon. Temporary Speaker, please protect me from the Leader of the Majority Party. My name is Hon. Basil. He is joking about my third name, Ngui. It does not mean what he thinks."},{"id":1394656,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1394656/?format=json","text_counter":374,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Farah Maalim","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":{"id":16,"legal_name":"Farah Maalim Mohamed","slug":"farah-maalim"},"content":" Leader of the Majority Party, do not call Hon. Basil that name again. The little I know about that language is that that it is not a very good word. Proceed."},{"id":1394657,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1394657/?format=json","text_counter":375,"type":"scene","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"(Laughter)"},{"id":1394658,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1394658/?format=json","text_counter":376,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Farah Maalim","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":{"id":16,"legal_name":"Farah Maalim Mohamed","slug":"farah-maalim"},"content":"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":1394659,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1394659/?format=json","text_counter":377,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Yatta, WDM","speaker_title":"Hon. Robert Basil","speaker":null,"content":" He is joking around a lot. I need to teach him. Yes. That name means something different in Kikamba. It means something else in his tribe. I thank the Leader of the Majority Party for bringing this Bill. I partially support it. One of the reasons I support the Bill partially is that I have no problem with the introduction of Secretary to the National Security Council. I have no problem with the Secretary being the advisor of the National Security Council as well. I also have no problem with the establishment of a National Security Council Committee. However, I have a problem with taking the Public Seal from the Attorney-General to the Head of Public Service. I say that because Article 156(4) of the Constitution says that the Attorney-General is the Principal Legal Advisor to the President and the Government. Article 156(6) of the Constitution also says that the Attorney-General shall promote, protect and uphold the rule of law, and defend the public interest. By this, I mean the interest of Kenyans. These functions explain very well why the National Seal must stay with the Attorney-General. Therefore, I do not agree with that particular proposal. I request the Leader of the Majority Party to reconsider it."},{"id":1394660,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1394660/?format=json","text_counter":378,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Yatta, WDM","speaker_title":"Hon. Robert Basil","speaker":null,"content":"Secondly, I do not have a problem with the establishment of CAS positions. I request that we have a capping because Kenyans are currently shouldering a huge burden of an increased wage bill. If we do not have a cap, we are going to continue burdening many Kenyans who are struggling with the increased cost of living. That is why it is important, as much as we want to create positions which are very essential as most of the members have said, we need to understand that Kenyans are suffering, and try to cap the number. Additionally, some of the amendments I am going to make are in terms of the numbers. I have seen the number proposed for the Assumption of Office of the President Committee is about 20 members. That is a huge number. We could reduce it to 10 to reduce the wage bill. I understand that in any meeting, allowances are included. We also need to understand that as much as we need to move forward, as a country, let us try to mitigate and manage the increased wage bill."}]}