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{
    "id": 1045868,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1045868/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 150,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Emurua Dikirr, KANU",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kipyegon Ngeno",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1453,
        "legal_name": "Johana Ngeno Kipyegon",
        "slug": "johana-ngeno-kipyegon"
    },
    "content": "their grievances, either against the Government, an NGO or even ourselves as Members of Parliament. We should allow those people who are demonstrating against us to have their freedom. It is the responsibility of the police and the security apparatus of this country to ensure that when there is a peaceful demonstration, there is peace and order. If there is damage, the police themselves should be answerable. That is why we pay them salaries. I say this with a lot of pain because I have experienced several situations such as these. I know many Members who do not understand what I mean will try to use this law against other people thinking that because they are now in Government, the sufferers are those who are not in Government. My friend, you are in Government today but tomorrow you may not. This law will be used against me today and tomorrow it will be used against you. It will be the Members who will come to rescue you. Recently, I organised a peaceful demonstration in my constituency. Some goons organised to disrupt that particular demonstration by throwing stones at the police who were actually protecting us. It ended up with the police throwing teargas and disrupting the whole event. Who would incur the damages that were caused? Is it me, the organiser? Recently, I also organised to issue bursaries to my constituents. The police came and demanded that I should have a license to issue bursaries. This law was not there. What will happen if this law is put in place? The police will have leeway to disrupt meetings under the guise that if one organises this event or even gives out bursaries, one might cause harm to other people or some people can organise to come and disrupt that meeting and eventually, it may be used against you. I do not think this law is necessary. We have enough laws in this country. People must know the right to demonstrate is not given by any human. It is given by the Constitution. It is not a privilege to demonstrate. It is not something that we ask the Government to give us. It is a right that is in the Constitution. Anybody who tries to muzzle that right that we are given by the Constitution must be told that he is creating an unlawful environment. Thoreau, an American author, wrote about civil disobedience. What was the reason? We believe that the American Constitution is very progressive and the best in the world. Thoreau said that civil disobedience means disobeying the laws that you know are in place but which are against humans. Why? Because at some point, governments can create laws that will restrict or infringe on the rights of its people and people have a right to demonstrate against those laws. As my colleagues said, some members of this republic were taken to the International Criminal Court. We have never known whether they were the actual perpetrators or not. Somebody might have fixed them or maybe they were guilty. Suppose you use such a law to infringe on other people’s rights like we are doing today? My friend stated that some people were taken to the ICC against their wishes and against the law. Suppose they were fixed. What would have happened? We are also talking about this law. Suppose somebody wants to fix us in a demonstration? We should not let such laws to pass on our watch. I wish to tell my friends to oppose this law. Remember, we also had in this House the security laws which many of us fought. I was not among those who fought in the Chamber. I stood against the introduction of that particular law in this House. Today, that law, during whose passage Members of Parliament threw water on themselves and defended vehemently, has come back to haunt them. Let us not go back there. I oppose this law and urge fellow Members to oppose it. Withdraw it. Tupa hii sheria."
}