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{
    "id": 1228418,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1228418/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 204,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "Let us use these religious occasions to undertake an introspection, reconnect with our creator and emerge stronger servants of the people and even reflect on the challenges our country faces. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, you may have keenly noted that our colleagues – mostly from the Minority side – are not with us this afternoon. I have been informed that most of them are out in the streets protesting. That leaves us in a very difficult situation. The set-up of Parliament is such that the 47 million of us cannot fit in one room to make a decision on matters that pertain our country. We go through an election to elect a representative to speak and raise issues on your behalf on the Floor of the House. The drafters of our Constitution never anticipated a situation where the representatives abandon the premium platform that they have been given and join the citizens on the streets. It is unfortunate. That is not what we hoped for our democracy. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are aware of the difficult times that our country continues to face. After every election, there are people who will never accept the verdict of the people through the ballot. They then set up new mechanisms of finding a way of resolving electoral issues through extra-constitutional means. The challenge that is before the President of the Republic, is whether to further perpetuate and inculcate this culture or stick by the position that many are urging him, to stand by the rule of law because he swore by the Bible to defend the Constitution. Defending the Constitution demands that you stay firm when the country is under threat. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, Kenya is a poor economy. We are trying our best to move the country from a very difficult time, where the economy had been ravaged. The administration that was before us actually demolished all instruments of accountability. As has been said, if the Government was a consumable, then they ate everything that was on the table, including cutlery. While the economy is being repaired, the same people are back in the streets talking about the cost of living. A few months down the line, when Kenyans were talking about the cost of living, none other than hon. Raila Odinga, told us not to bark like dogs. It is there. He asked us not make noise. Which country does not have debt and so on and so forth? For us to lose two days every week – Mondays and Thursdays – where citizens cannot go about their duties of nation building; and us ensuring that we work to make our nation a better place, then unfortunately, difficult decisions have to be made. We cannot be lied to that these are just peaceful demonstrations. There is nothing peaceful about those demonstrations. You have seen the struggles of our former colleague, Hon. (Prof.) Peter Anyang’- Nyong’o of Kisumu County. I now understand why he was at pains yesterday. He cancelled demonstrations in the morning and in the afternoon – of course after being forced – he said they shall try to demonstrate peacefully. You have seen what has happened in Kisumu County today. After they looted all the supermarkets, they have now gone to kiosks of ordinary citizens, who do not know what a server is. In fact, most of them voted for these candidates that are mobilizing their"
}