Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1208342,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1208342/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 117,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "Committee. Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale chaired both proceedings, which is part of the reason we are proposing him to be part and parcel of the Committee. It comes with historical experience. Of course, the impeachment proceeding against my then Governor, Hon. (Prof.) Chepkowny, was handled by Committee; same to the impeachment Motion against the Deputy Governor of Machakos, Hon. Bernard Kyala, together with Gov. Mwangi wa Iria of Murang’a County. Five out of the six were handled by Committee. In the last 12th Parliament, five matters were considered by the Senate. Two of the matters; that of hon. Granton Samboja and hon. Ann Mumbi Waiguru, were handled by Committee. The other three; that of hon. Mohamed Abdi, hon. Ferdinand Ndung’u Waititu and the very famous one of hon. Mike Gideon Mbuvi Sonko of Nairobi City County, were handled by Plenary. My point is that either way, this House can proceed to consider an impeachment Motion that has been brought before us. We want to look at the circumstances, timing and which precedes the other. I do not hold in my mind that there is one method superior to the other. You will find people asking why we cannot go the Plenary way or the Committee way out of personal experience. I have lots of it and so, I am qualified to give an opinion on this. Both ways are extremely effective. Whichever way we have pursed it in the past, the Senate has returned the decision. There have been moments where we went through Committee and the Motion was dropped or the charges were upheld and vice versa through the Plenary way. I propose to the Members listening to me this afternoon that we go the Committee route; that we grant a Committee of 11 Members, who have been given an opportunity to listen, read and peruse the documents that have been produced before the Senate. They should then come and convince this House of whatever findings they will get, either to impeach or drop the charges. As a House, we shall be gathered again and granted the opportunity equally to read a further refined report from our 11 colleagues. These are men and women that I consider to be fully competent. I love the fact that the language of the Constitution looks us as 67 Senators. I do not, for any reason, entertain the thought that there are Senators who are better than others. We have different giftings and abilities. Some have been here longer than others. The proposed Committee that has been laid before us, has a mixture of both new Members and ranking Members. It has women, men, elected and specially elected by way of nomination. It has all the shades and colours. However, as it is the nature of human beings, many will ask, “why not me?” I discourage our colleagues from having such a view to life. We shall not be sending a good precedence if we begin transacting the business of Parliament and perhaps saying that any time a Motion comes before the House, and so-and-so or myself is not included, I may not necessarily support. I want to convince the House and propose to colleagues; given that this matter has come before us during a Christmas break when many of us were home with families, constituents, and loved ones; that a Select Committee of the Senate will be best placed to give it the due attention and listen to the presentations by the County Assembly."
}