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{
    "id": 1153044,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1153044/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 94,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wako",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 366,
        "legal_name": "Amos Sitswila Wako",
        "slug": "amos-wako"
    },
    "content": "I have talked about regional integrity and corruption. Mwai Kibaki was a humble person whom you could easily mistake for not hearing what you said sometimes. You could also assume he did not know what was going on around him. At the time when he and Raila signed the agreement, which resulted to the Grand Coalition Government, I noticed that he was very much aware. To show that he could make decisions and be firm, I can tell you for sure that most members of his Cabinet had sworn that that agreement should not be underpinned by a constitutional amendment. The issue was that the President could even appoint Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister or Ministers and there was to be trust. The other side was to trust that the President could not dismiss Ministers appointed by the other side, or dismiss the Prime Minister using the immense powers he had under the old Constitution. Of course, the other side could not trust that and it became necessary to have a constitutional amendment. However, one side completely refused and that was the deadlock. Everything else was in agreement, but that one thing required a constitutional amendment. I believe Sen. Orengo mentioned yesterday that during the meeting with Kofi Annan, Benjamin Mkapa, Graça Machel, Raila Odinga and Mwai Kibaki, I was the only other person there and Raila asked that Orengo be called to advise on that issue. Kofi Annan was my friend. He had called me the previous day and I told him what my legal view was. He wanted to know whether I could say my view in front of my President because he knew the President’s people were against that view. I told him that my job was to state the law as it is. That morning, Hon. Orengo and I were invited. Other Ministers wanted to be there, but they were locked out completely. We discussed and President Kibaki agreed with me that we must have a constitutional amendment. The previous day I had told him that everybody was against that. I told him the legal position and asked him to deal with his Ministers. He told me that we had to do what was right, particularly at a time like that when the country was on the brink of collapsing. He added that we had to do what was right politically, but more importantly constitutionally. He asked me to be brave and say it as it was. I said it as it was and it was agreed. Then Hon. Orengo and I were asked to go somewhere and draft the entire agreement as far as those aspects were concerned. We did that and signed every page. When we went back, it was signed. I am just saying this to show that the former President was a man who could do what was right even if those around him advised him to the contrary. Many a time, we have seen presidents and some people in high offices being manoeuvred by the people around them. However, in that one instance, I discovered that President Mwai Kibaki was not a man to be maneuvered by the opinions of those around him. He could only do what was right in the circumstances. Mr. Speaker, Sir, President Mwai Kibaki valued the downtrodden and people generally. I remember him telling me and others that the worth of a country is measured by how it treats the lonely in the---"
}