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{
    "id": 1471549,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1471549/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 193,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Elisha Ongoya",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "I make this request because of what transpired here yesterday when the County Assembly made their case. They spent three hours and ten minutes on the evidence of their first witness, essentially leaving the official time of four hours with a balance of only 50 minutes. The net effect is that the Governor's team was completely disadvantaged throughout yesterday and I am certain that the Senators who were here last night could see how we struggled to wriggle within the limited time. We therefore beseech that you give directions on time management. We propose as follows- We ended up using six hours yesterday for the Assembly’s witnesses. Out of these six hours, two were given to the Governor 's team with no opportunity for extension and four hours and ten minutes were given to the Assembly team. It therefore follows that the Assembly got two-thirds of the time yesterday and the Governor 's team got one-third. We beseech you that in tandem with the principle of equality of arms, the Governor 's team gets two-thirds of their time today and the Assembly team gets one-third of their time today in advance of commencement of the proceedings, so that every party decides how they want to use or play about with their time. When they run out of time, it is their own making and they take the consequences. Mr. Speaker, Sir, if that direction finds favour with you, the four hours you have given us today translate to 240 minutes, two-thirds of which is 160 minutes. We urge that from the very outset, you direct that the Governor 's team has their 160 minutes, which they will decide how to use and the Assembly team has the balance which translates mathematically to one-third of the four hours that you have given us today. They will decide how to use it. If any party wastes time, they are singularly wasting their own and not the adverse party's time. I make this plea, precisely to underpin the principle of equality of arms because the HANSARD of this House will bear me out. The Assembly got two-thirds of yesterday's time, and the Governor's side got one-third. Mr. Speaker, Sir, once you give that direction, I will then give you how we intend to distribute our time and how we shall go about calling our witnesses. I humbly submit."
}