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{
    "id": 1283929,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1283929/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 331,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Okiya Omtatah",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "boy child and even the boy child can fight back. Let nobody think that this world belongs to women, it does not. It belongs to both of us with equal rights. If a matter is being prosecuted, let us prosecute it on the merits of the case before us. The merits of the case before us is that there are allegations that were made, as Sen. Sifuna has said. The allegations were presented before the Committee of this House performing a quasi-judicial function. The Committee using its powers, gave the person making the allegations the right to be heard. The person declined to be heard. The person did not show up before the Committee. The offer was to either appear in person or by advocate. The person did not appear. The allegations are being made against people who like every one of us, have the right to a good reputation; people who have been serving us diligently. If I may go back, a few months before this happened, there had been serious allegations that vehicles had been broken into at the Senate parking. Police got involved and the CCTV reels were run. Some had not even packed their vehicles there on that day. It is just that the secretariat, led by the Clerk, decided to cool things off and let those Senators go. This idea of making wild allegations must come to an end. If you cannot prove it, shut up. To say that it is impossible to prove these kinds of things, it is not true with the kind of technology we have today. With key-hole cameras and even sunglasses, like the one worn by the indomitable Senator for Nandi County, can be used to record things. What we should concern ourselves is that the kind of sanctions that have been proposed against Sen. Orwoba are a bit draconian. We can shorten the term and request her to make an apology. We have a tradition that says, ‘when you bite your tongue, you cannot spit out all the blood.’ You may have to swallow some. So, let us swallow some of the blood. Let us punish, not to kill, but to correct. I think that as a House, we owe it to ourselves to be our brothers’ keepers. I use the word ‘brothers’ to include even women. That is how the idiom is; you cannot modify an English idiom. Do not accuse me of being gender-biased when I say ‘to be our brother’s keeper.’ What happened at creation time was that it was two brothers who fought. I support this Report. I pray that we adopt the Report, but modify the punishment. I would recommend that the period of suspension be shorter and that the apology be rendered not just to this House, but to the members of staff who are maligned. I think Mr. Nyegenye deserves a direct written apology and not just the House because the House was not insulted; it was individuals who were insulted. Let us modify the Report to include an apology directed at the staff members who were affected by the vitriol that spewed out from our sister’s fingers when she typed on the keyboard of her phone or whatever gadget she was using. With those few remarks, I support the Report."
}