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National Assembly Speaker, the Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Moses Wetangβula has emphasized that the newly inaugurated Bunge Tower faced the peril of becoming a stalled project and a white elephant.
βThis building is here. We will use it and it will serve the purpose for which it was meant,β the speaker insisted.
Speaking today during the launch of the 26 β Storey State βof-the Art building, Hon. Wetangβula praised the intervention of the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) in rescuing and expediting the completion of the tower, ensuring its readiness for occupation by Members and House Committees.
This even as the Speaker addressed individualsΒ he termed skeptics and rejectionists, who have been consistently criticizing the structure and spreading false information about the building.
βThis building here, your Excellency, when I got the privilege to be the Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya. I toured with my commissioners and there was a real risk of this building turning into a stalled project and our white elephant since contractors had left. We had to go around looking for the contractors and subcontractors,β said Dr. Wetangβula.
The Speaker expressed his gratitude to the PSC saying that they showed selfless determination and sacrifice of their valuable time in ensuring that the building was completed.
βAnd we have been meeting every fortnight,Β sometimes every week to negotiate with contractors to get back to work;Β threatening some of them with criminal sanctions because some of them had been paid and had left the site,β he added.
Hon. Wetangβula, who is also the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) emphasized that anyone visiting the building can attest to its worthiness as an investment.
With its completion, he said, the building significantly enhances the skyline of Nairobi City, adding substantial value.
βWhen you drive from Westlands to the Airport, apart from the new Marriott Hotel, the next most iconic building along the way is this building, Bunge Tower is aesthetically beautiful and very good to look atβ, he described.
The Speaker underscored the importance of the facilities indicating that it will provide Members of Parliament an opportunity to work in first class structure.
βThe only Parliament in my many travels I can compare with this building is probably the Parliament of Australia in Canberra City. It is as good as any other. I even dare say that this is a better facility than the House of Commons in the UK for those of you who have been there.β He held.
Hon. Wetangβula in his capacity as the head of PSC expressed gratitude to the government for facilitating the completion of the building by allocating funds from the exchequer to Parliament.
He noted that Parliament stands as a vibrant and independent institution, diligently fulfilling its role in representing oversight of the government and crafting legislation to enhance the nation.
Speaker Wetangula also took a moment to elaborate on the method used for allocation of the offices for Members saying that it was conducted through fair, transparent and democratic manner by balloting.
βThere is no Member was favored to be given an office apart from the ranking Members, everybody else balloted and those who have missed out, we are going to renovate Continental House to make sure that we accommodate all Members within reach of Parliament,β he clarified.
In his Speech, Speaker Wetangβula has assured President Ruto that Parliament will provide oversight of his government, allocate resources appropriately, and enact beneficial legislation to support the governmentβs transformative agenda for progressive development of the nation.
