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{
    "id": 1122057,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1122057/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 190,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen Wetangula",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 210,
        "legal_name": "Moses Masika Wetangula",
        "slug": "moses-wetangula"
    },
    "content": "African partners like South Sudan. Our growth in economy must also measure with our growth in the sophistication of how we manage our affairs as a country. The new Chief Justice (CJ) has been talking of making it easy for people to go through the mill of justice. The DPP has been quite good at this because he has not been rushing people to court. In comparable jurisdictions like the United States of America (USA), when the DPP takes you to court, he has a file ready and hearing can start as soon as is practically possible depending on the availability of court time. Madam Deputy Speaker, here, you are taken to court and the police tell you that investigations are still going on and that they want to hold the suspect. If investigations are still going on, how do you arrive at preferring a charge against an individual? You are still investigating. You may be preferring a charge of pick-pocketing when, in fact, the eventual charge will be robbery with violence. We want to see people being taken to court when investigations have been done and concluded; and the DPP has approved that this, in fact, is correct and sustainable charge. You then take people to court. Looking back, these killings have not been limited to the low end of society. We have the cases of Pio Pinto, Tom Mboya, J.M. Kariuki, Kung’u Karumba and many other people. Of late, Anthony Ndilinge, former MP for Kilome and others, who have fallen from the hand of a gun wielding person. We have a group among the police, that this Committee needed to have talked to. They are called Kenya Police Reservist (KPR). They are a vigilante group set up in various places and armed to help the police in combating crime. Many of them are not properly trained in handling weapons and sometimes they abuse these weapons. When we went to Laikipia County on a facts finding mission with our distinguished Senator here, we heard the people of Laikipia County crying that they want reservists back because they help. By the time you take them back, we want them to be trained. The training of the police in England, USA and everywhere is, if a person is aggressive and is difficult to arrest, you maim him to arrest but not kill. Shoot him in the leg if you have to before you arrest him if he is menacing you with a weapon. Madam Deputy Speaker, here in Kenya the aim is at the head or chest where the heart is and people just die in a manner that is regrettable. This Report is so well written and thorough in research, that I would want to urge the whole House to support it. We also have what they have called Victim Protection Board (VPB). Again, sometimes when there are excesses of the police, people fear going forward because when they tell the truth, they become even bigger targets. When they are protected under the law like witness protection, it helps in finding facts and getting things done. Today, I dare say, we have no shortage of young educated Kenyans who can be police officers. If the police has bad apples--- I remember when I visited the Inspector- General (IG) recently and talked to him about what we saw in Laikipia County, he said they know they have some rotten apples among the police who needed to be weeded out. They should be weeded out as quickly as yesterday, so that we have a Police Service that is responsive; responsible; respects human rights and private property; and, that respects the doctrine of innocence until proved guilty."
}