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{
    "id": 769948,
    "url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/769948/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 171,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "December 7, 2017 SENATE DEBATES 22 Sen. Omogeni",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to support this Motion. First, I commend the Committee that was tasked to do the shortlisting. It is not an easy thing combing through Curriculum Vitaes (CVs) of 208 people. I hope that this process has been transparent. I would have loved to have an annexure of all the 208 applicants. Perhaps, next time we give a task to a Committee of the House, it will be good, for transparency, to have the names of all the applicants. As a country we should ensure that this becomes a learning experience for us. This process was initiated by the East African Community way back in December 2016. It has taken a whole year for Kenya to send its nominees to the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA). This is a trend we should not accept in future. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, professionals are the biggest stakeholders in the East Africa integration process. Because of the suspicion we have from our brothers and sisters in the other East African countries, we have never achieved some of the benefits we would have wished our professionals to enjoy. Being a lawyer, you know that we have never achieved the dream of having cross-border practice for lawyers because of the suspicion with which professionals from other East Africa member state treat Kenyans. When I was Chair of the Law Society of Kenya we tried to push this agenda in Tanzania and the joke was: “If you allow lawyers from Kenya to practice in Tanzania, all insurance industries will close down because of ambulance chasing.” We need to be very careful as we pick our nominees to East Africa. We should pick people who will improve our image as a country in East Africa. I would plead with the hon. Senators that this is one opportunity we have to put behind us our party affiliation, ethnic backgrounds and pick the very best. This is because we are looking at the future of our own children and a process that can open the cross- border economic, political and social integration. I appeal to Members to give fidelity to Article 81 of the Constitution. When we engage in this exercise of electing our nominees, there should be no intimidation. I should not be intimidated by my party leader, and equally, I expect that our brothers from the other side will not be intimidated by the Jubilee leadership. That is the spirit of Article 81 of the Constitution. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have been confronted by a number of candidates who are already on campaign mode. I am sure that other Senators have encountered people within the corridors, campaigning. If this process is to be free and fair, there should be a platform for people to campaign and sell their policies. The ground should be fair and the people who want to campaign should be given access to the Senate and Parliament in general; of course, not inside the House but just within. That way, we can know them and when we come to vote on the 14th December, 2017, we will be voting for people we know. Finally, we should be careful how we undertake this exercise. You will remember that there was a time this process attracted serious litigation. The Attorney General"
}