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{
    "id": 1492733,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1492733/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 51,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Alego Usonga, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Samuel Atandi",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Hon. Deputy Speaker, allow me to say something before I take my seat. Hon. Aringo served as a Member of Parliament for more than 25 years. When we decided to remove him from his position, I was a university student leader and actively involved in local politics. Several candidates sought to unseat him. I chaired the team that successfully campaigned to bring Hon. Sammy Weya into office in 2002. What surprised me about Hon. Aringo is that, despite knowing I was a key player in championing his exit from Parliament, he still invited me for lunch after he left office. I had a three-hour meeting with him, during which he counselled me since I had returned to the university. At the time, I was a student at Egerton University and travelled to Nairobi to meet him. He wanted us to become friends. During our conversation, I asked him how he survived the KANU dictatorship regime. As many would recall, when he served as a Cabinet Minister during KANU's rule, he was often regarded as one of the regime's mouthpieces. He had much to say, even describing President Moi as the \"Prince of Peace.\" I engaged him over that particular subject, knowing very well that he had become reform-minded thereafter as he had participated in the formation of the 2010 Constitution. Curious about his experiences, I inquired about Cabinet meetings during the KANU regime. He told me that, according to President Moi, Cabinet meetings were typically held between the President and just one Cabinet Minister. He recounted an instance where he championed a particular issue, which I will not mention, and the Cabinet approved it. However, later that night, the President called to inform him that they needed to change the Cabinet's decision. He asked the President what necessitated the change and yet, the Cabinet approved it. He was told the Cabinet is the President and any other minister. That particular cabinet meeting was held between him and the President on the phone. The following day, he woke up, went to the office and changed the minutes. Hon. Aringo's legacy has not been properly highlighted. I read what our columnist wrote when Hon. Aringo died. They were unable to capture his true legacy. That is why I made this Statement. Hon. Aringo has been judged wrongly because most people focus on his life as a KANU cabinet minister. But let it be known that Aringo's legacy is deeper and bigger than he did during the KANU regime. As the Member of Parliament for Alego Usonga, until I came back as a second term Member of Parliament, nobody had ever been elected for a second term other than Hon. Aringo. He served for five terms, while his successors only did one term and went home. Hon. Aringo has left a towering legacy. I plead with the media and columnists to give him a fair judgement even when they write about his history. His history is larger than his short stint as a KANU cabinet minister. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}