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{
    "id": 1215339,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1215339/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 148,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheptumo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13591,
        "legal_name": "Cheptumo William Kipkiror",
        "slug": "cheptumo-william-kipkiror"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I was consulting on something else and I was already on the line. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I join my colleagues in supporting this Motion. I am a Member of the Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights. This morning, Hon. Muthama appeared before the Committee and we had a very long engagement with him. I served with Hon. Muthama in the National Assembly. I believe it was in the 10th Parliament. That time, he served as the Chief Whip and he showed a high level of leadership and he was able to do mobilise Members. Hon. Muthama served in this House and he was able to express the suffering he went through as a Senator during his tenure in this House. As we are all aware, the challenge we have is that we do not have the resources to execute our oversight functions. He gave an example of being the Senator for Machakos County, compared to several constituencies. As we all know, the amount he was allocated is equivalent to the allocation of a Member of the National Assembly. It was very difficult for him to perform his function. In fact, he spent his own resources so as to serve his county in his time. These are the challenges the House faces today. I have no doubt that having been in this House, Hon. Muthama will advocate for fairness and justice to enable Senators perform their functions. He shared his personal life. He is a very successful businessman dealing in gemstones and he has earned our country foreign currency. I see him as a man that has succeeded in business and politics. So, we have a man who will be useful in PSC. He is capable of applying his experience from the National Assembly as well as this House. With that, he will be able to serve the two Houses in a manner that will facilitate Members in terms of Article 127(6) of the Constitution. Mr. Speaker, Sir, he also fulfilled the other law requirements for him to be appointed a Commissioner. As a Committee, we were satisfied with his documents from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), National Intelligence Service (NIS), Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and all the other agencies. He has a matter pending in court, but he explained the circumstances of that particular case. He demonstrated that he is a Kenyan who pays taxes and this means that he will set a good example even in leadership in PSC. As a Committee, we were satisfied that he fulfilled the legal requirements and the constitutional threshold required for him. Mr. Speaker, Sir, in conclusion, hon. Muthama was the Chairperson of the UDA, the party where I belong. During his entire leadership as our chairperson, he was able to manage our resource. Prudence of managing resources is critical. There is no situation that was too hard for him to handle and Sen. Veronica Maina attested to that. In the time"
}