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"speaker_name": "Mr. Midiwo",
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"content": "Thank you Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to support this Motion of Adjournment. I think we have achieved so much in the last few weeks. As a country, I believe we have made positive steps. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it would have been nice if we were going home when people knew who our Cabinet Ministers are. There is so much anxiety around the country about these Ministerial posts. There is even anxiety amongst hon. Members of Parliament. Thinking about it, I now see the reason why Cabinet appointments are normally announced two or three days after elections. Lobbying is intense and the anxiety is unnecessary. The two principals, hon. Raila Odinga and President Kibaki will have done this country a favour if we wake up tomorrow knowing who is a Minister and who is not so that we can move on. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to say that this country has made a big step forward, particularly in the agreement by the people who opposed constitutional change in this country. For once, we are going to tackle this issue. Kenyans are looking up to us. We need to make changes. We need a new Constitution which will ensure that Kenyans are protected wherever they want to live. Facts are facts. Until such a time that this country will accept that we have been living a lie for many years, I do not think we will be making a good future for the generations to come. I want to agree with the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Ms. Karua, that there should not be amnesty to anybody. However, I want to say that the amnesty should cover everybody. It should not be a one-sided statement. Everybody knows that in Kisumu, where I come from, over 100, or at least 80 per cent of deaths were caused by police bullets. To make matters worse, the officers are still working. I thought that the administration rules of the police force require that when you are involved in some kind of shooting you have to take leave as investigations are being carried out. That is not happening. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, police officers killed our people during the referendum. They were relieved of their duties but until today, we have not heard of them being prosecuted. If we are going to talk about justice and fairness, then we need to stop looking at justice from a one-sided mirror. We need to look at ourselves in a way that will relieve us. We need to talk about our problems honestly. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) must not be allowed 408 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES March 25, 2008 to conduct the coming by-elections. The ECK is tainted and has to go. Somehow, the least we should do is to reform it. However, we cannot, after what we have gone through, accept that those people are still sitting in those offices enjoying taxpayers' money. We would be doing ourselves a great disservice, if we accept, as a Parliament, that people who are basically criminals, sit in office and we look at them as if we do not defend the use of our money."
}