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{
    "id": 1153270,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1153270/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 210,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Ochillo-Ayacko",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Madam Deputy Speaker, he was a great person in terms of management and discipline. Former President Kibaki as a Member of Parliament (MP) would restrict his debate to parliamentary matters. He would always be orderly. For the period that we were together in Parliament and for the period that I have cared to research about Parliament, he is the one and I think only MP who had never been called to order by the Speaker. He was orderly. I can challenge any of us to research the HANSARD and find any instance where the Speaker had to look at the Standing Orders and rule him out of order. He was an avid reader, a thorough debater and a stickler to the rule of law and adherence to the Standing Orders. When we were in Parliament, because of the heated exchanges that we had as we were trying to match the ruling party, the Kenya African National Union (KANU) at that particular time, most of us had to talk loudly and dramatize many things in order to catch the eye of the Speaker. The late President as an opposition leader never needed to do that. He was always calm and his arguments were so powerful that he did not need any drama to make his point. I advise those who will be joining Parliament after August not to be rowdy and disorderly in order to be understood. They should emulate the behaviour, character and qualities exhibited by the departed President that let your points be persuasive. Let your arguments be authoritative. You may not need to be vocal because vocality at times may not be heard, but you need to be persuasive, incisive and very clear in what you want to be understood. That is what he did. His parliamentary tenure before he became the Head of the Executive was exemplary. Those of us who want to stay in Parliament should look at that. Many will talk about him as President, but many should also look at him as an MP. One of my colleagues here, Sen. Wambua of Kitui County, indicated with the concurrence of Sen. Wetangula that he is probably the longest serving Member of the Commonwealth. That is a high achievement, but it is not correct although the person that he comes second to was an outstanding Parliamentarian. Winston Churchill beats the record that President Kibaki set. Winston Churchill became a MP in 1900 and served in Parliament continuously from 1922 to 1924 up to 1966, serving for 61 years. Therefore, President Kibaki comes second by serving for 50 years. The late President Moi served for 49 years. You can see Kibaki, Moi and Winston Churchill are special people because of the longevity of their tenure and their contributions to policy, legislation and representation in the nations that they served. They are also special people because of the confidence that the people they represented had in them. For you to be elected consecutively and continuously for 10 terms, that is a milestone. To be elected for two, three and eventually 10 terms, you must be a great person. If the Constitution had not limited the tenure of presidency or allowed a retired president to come back to Parliament, I believe the people of Othaya would still have elected him unopposed because of the orderly, structured and effective manner in which he represented his people. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}