President Uhuru Kenyatta gave his second last state of the nation address in parliament on Tuesday November 30.
President Kenyatta’s speech was a total of 248 pages where he highlighted achievements and challenges that his administration has faced since taking office as the fourth President of the Republic of Kenya, on Tuesday, April 9, 2013.
A section of lawmakers were however not pleased with the address claiming that it was too long.
“I want to address the people who write the president’s speech. They should give the president a summary speech. You can’t give the president a speech that can fill a box. He can’t start at 3:45pm and leave at 6:00pm, it has never happened,” Garissa Township MP Aden Duale said.
Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen said, “Parliament should pass a law to set the maximum time that future Presidents will take in the State of the Nation Address. Like Winston Churchill said, “a good speech should be like a woman’s skirt.”
On the other hand Uasin Gishu Women Rep Gladys Boss Shollei criticized president Kenyatta’s speech saying that it was obvious that he is not aware of Kenyans’ needs.
“The president’s address left me wondering whether he lives in Kenya or whether his advisors or speechwriters live in Kenya. It clearly shows that he is completely oblivious of what is happening in the country,” Shollei said in an interview with Citizen TV.
She further said that the speech failed to touch on topics that the constitution requires a state of the nation speech to address.
“The president went on to speak about certain developments; roads, infrastructure, electrification, and technical and vocational training colleges. Those achievements started in 2013 and went on to 2017. There is nothing in his state of the nation address that actually answers what he is supposed to do under Article 132 of the constitution,” She stated.
According to Shollei, it was also illegal for the president to speak about BBI yet the case was in court.
“Kenya is a stable country, in fact, he inherited and took over a stable country… that constitutional moment that he is talking about was his personal moment with less than five other persons, it was not by Kenyans,
“He said ‘it shall happen’, so basically he is telling us whether you like it or not, whether the court rules differently, he will ensure that there is constitutional change,” Shollei went on.
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