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{
    "id": 223739,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/223739/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 227,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. G.G. Kariuki",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 330,
        "legal_name": "Godfrey Gitahi Kariuki",
        "slug": "gg-kariuki"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to thank hon. Members for supporting this Report because the Report is quite clear. The comments by hon. Members are very encouraging. Time has come when we should come out of that cocoon of fearing to be labelled corrupt. As Dr. Murungaru has said, time has come when we should go and investigate all the 18 projects which have been giving us a very bad image internationally. It is said in overseas that Kenya is seen as the most corrupt country because it is so democratic. People say what they want to say. Any report that comes from Kenya is taken very seriously out there because Kenya is expected to be a country where corruption does not exist. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, as I said when I was moving the Motion, there is no need to criticise the media because they were not told the truth. If you want to hide the truth, then be ready to be misreported. The media is bound to report what they do not know and eventually the public will accept what they say. I think that this is a lesson. We were told that the ship was a civilian second-hand ship which was being modified to a navy kind of ship, and yet, that was not the case. Our officers stayed there for one year and some months watching and inspecting the building of that vessel. The person who was there, Mr. Kituku, was ordered to come back abruptly by the Government when the issue of that vessel came up in the media. May 2, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1091 There are some important projects in this country which we need to have, for example, the communication centre for the armed forces. Even if there was any other business, we better deal with the principle of the matter first. Let us get the project to go on and then deal with the culprit if there is any. But you will find that the Kenya Ant-Corruption Commission (KACC) Director will say, \"stop paying.\" We had the opportunity to meet the Director of KACC, the Chief Secretary, the Minister and all the people involved before we undertook to go to Spain. Those people are very clear in their own mind about what happened. But the politics of 2003/2004 were very disturbing. Everybody in the Government was perceived to be corrupt. If you had any money or a new car you would be labelled corrupt. I think that time has come for us to be responsible and look for what is good for this country. We are going through a very difficult period in our political life where we have liberalised procurement. Procurement used to be a monopoly of certain countries in the Western World, but now it is open internationally. Therefore, we have to be ready to be kicked around by those who have enjoyed buying and supplying equipment for our armed forces in Kenya since Independence. I think we have learnt a lot. I would like to thank hon. Members for supporting this Report. With those few remarks, I beg to move."
}