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{
    "id": 1231946,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1231946/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 335,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sifuna",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13599,
        "legal_name": "Sifuna Edwin Watenya",
        "slug": "sifuna-edwin-watenya"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, we have found ourselves in this situation before. What the Senator for Migori was objecting to was not the use of the term “handshake”. It was the use of the phrase “handshake government” and attribution to some of the things that happened to this creature called “handshake government”. If you look at Article 3(2) of the Constitution, it says – “Any attempt to establish a Government otherwise than in compliance to this Constitution is unlawful”. Governments are not constituted by handshakes. There was nothing wrong with leaders in this country-- - I shake hands with Sen. Cherarkey every day; we do not establish a handshake. Mr. Speaker, Sir, what we are objecting to is reference to a government--- You know this is a House of records and the history of this country records that in fact we have had five Governments. These are the Kenyatta one administration, the KANU Government, the Kibaki Government which was a coalition government that was as a result of talks that resulted in an actual Government. We all know what the Government means. Mr. Speaker, Sir, there is nothing wrong with referencing “handshakes”. Nobody is objecting to that and your wisdom has guided us. The phrase “Handshake Government” is what we have a problem with because you cannot establish a government by shaking somebody’s hand. That is not what is provided for under the Constitution. You have to go to an election, win and establish a government by the means provided for in this Constitution. Mr. Speaker, Sir, for you to recognize any entity as a government established, other than using the procedure set up by this Constitution, is to elevate something that is an unlawful which we believe did not exist."
}