Raila pays tribute to the Tenth Parliament

By Allan Kisia

NAIROBI; KENYA: Prime Minister Raila Odinga hailed praises at the Tenth Parliament for its achievements despite having a troubled start.

“I want to take a moment to pay tribute to the Tenth Parliament, the Government and the people of Kenya for the undying spirit and the resilience that has made us recover our breath and come this far,” he stated.

The Prime Minister said many Kenyan predicted that there would be serious legislative problems for the government if what transpired in the House during the swearing in of MPs was anything to go by.

“A lot of positive things have gone on in the country and in this House these five years,” said Raila during his Prime Minister’s Question Time.

The Prime Minister appealed to MPs, as they hit the campaign trail, not to underestimate the impact they could make by getting involved in matters of peace, stability and national security.

“As we campaign, let us not forget to remind Kenyans of the tasks ahead for the next government” he added.

He said MPs should remind Kenyans the pursuit and implementation of Vision 2030 goals, attaining 10 per cent plus growth as part of the Medium Term Plan goals of Vision 2030 and a faithful and full implementation of the Constitution among other issues.

“We are leaving this house at a moment in our history when Kenya faces daunting challenges. I am especially encouraged by what we have been able to achieve after beginning so low five years ago,” he reiterated.

He added that in a democracy, moving forward depends on making compromises. “We need bipartisan understanding in our politics if we are to unleash all the potential of the Kenyan people,” he explained.

He added that there is reason for members of the Tenth Parliament to bow out holding their heads high.

The Premier stated that working closely with the Executive, the Tenth Parliament has overseen the biggest ever investment in infrastructure development, with growth in roads, mobile telephony, energy and ICT standing out.

He added that the Tenth Parliament has also overseen investment in food security through irrigated agriculture in neglected places like Turkana, expansion of energy sources by investing in clean energy like geothermal, wind, solar and clean coal, expansion of education from primary to secondary schools, poverty reduction measures targeting vulnerable groups, including cash transfers to the poor and elderly currently piloting in various parts of the country and liberation of Somalia from Al Shabaab.

He noted that there has also been an expansion of free education to secondary schools and extending its benefits by providing sanitary towels to girls and liberation of Somalia from Al Shabaab.

“The evolution of projects like the LAPSSET, the Konza City, and, above all, the promulgation of the new constitution have been so grand they could only have come from the era of big dreams that the Tenth Parliament and the Grand Coalition Government have come to represent,” he added.

Energy minister Kiraitu Murungi said he worked closely with the Prime Minister in the Coalition Government even though he opposed his candidature for the presidency in 2007 and are still opposing him.

He advised the Premier to start talks with the Jubilee presidential candidate to agree on formation of a coalition Government to avoid polarising the country after elections.

“If this is not done, we may result to unhealthy competitions similar to those witnessed in 1960s between Founding Father Mzee Kenyatta and Jaramogi Odinga,” he stated.