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{
    "id": 1111683,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1111683/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 400,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Omogeni",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13219,
        "legal_name": "Erick Okong'o Mogeni",
        "slug": "erick-okongo-mogeni"
    },
    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, if you go to counties, we passed procurement laws, where we said 30 per cent of business should be reserved for women and the youth, but it is a struggle. For them to enter the procurement system and do business, they are told to give bribes yet they have no money. We have even passed legislations where procurement should be open and each public entity should put names and directors of companies on their websites, but they do not. Even at constituency level, I have tried to register young people in boda boda and women groups and encourage them to get business. However, people in counties and at the constituency prefer giving business to their friends, so that they receive kickbacks. Madam Temporary Speaker, this is what this law is trying to address. It discouraged people who are making their income through unexplained means and soliciting for bribes. We give opportunity to these young people and our women, so that they can take advantage of the resources that have been devolved to the constituencies and counties. If you allow women and the youth to do business in constituencies, you are making available Kshs137 million at the constituency level for these women to build toilets and classes in schools. They are able to do bush clearing on our roads. Who tells you that those young people and women cannot do it? They can do it. However, we who are at the constituency and county level, do not want these young people and women to do this business because we want to look for people who can give us kickbacks. That is why this is Bill is good. Madam Temporary Speaker, I like what is in Part I. There is an introduction of due care and professionalism, even as you want to move to court to conduct a lifestyle audit. This is important because we do not want this law to become witch-hunt or use it to fight our political opponents. That is why the Bill says that there must be due care and professionalism. There must be objectivity and confidentiality. That is very important. We were with Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. attending the Commonwealth Lawyers’ Conference in the City of Bahamas. There are people in this world who make money. Those are the ones we do not want EACC to harass. We were with a friend from Australia and were told that there is a barrister there called Robert Richter. He is the one who defended Cardinal Pell, who was accused of sexual offences. To get the services of that barrister, you pay him between 12,000 to 15,000 Australian Dollars per day. Madam Temporary Speaker, we have no problem with such a Kenyan because you know the source of their income. Those are professionals. If you go to them, they will tell you: “Look, this is what I charged Cardinal Pell and this is the money that went into my account.” That is important. That is why we are saying there should be objectivity, due care and professionalism. When you know that such a Kenyan is a professional, who has made that kind of income, you do not need to go and harass them wanting to search their accounts. That can be explained. There is the idea of confidentiality. It is not fair that merely because you want to go and do a lifestyle audit on a person, you call them to EACC, then tip the media, then tomorrow, we see a headline, saying, for example--- I know that Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. is a good man. We do not want to see a headline saying, “Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. is"
}