HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 225827,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/225827/?format=api",
"text_counter": 320,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Ms. Karua",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs",
"speaker": {
"id": 166,
"legal_name": "Martha Wangari Karua",
"slug": "martha-karua"
},
"content": "the constituents should first tell them, whether aspirants or sitting hon. Members, to expedite their matters, so that their record is known. How would we expect accountable leadership from those who are not accountable themselves? I think we have got to make up our minds, as a country, as to where we want to go. Then, we shall not stand here and lament. Finally, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, every time there is hiring or firing, especially firing in Government departments, we now have choruses of \"tribalism\". Yes, hon. Members will stand here and tell the Government that it is not implementing reports. If we cannot give our CEOs a free hand to hire and fire, how do you expect reports to be implemented? If your kinsman, tribesman or tribeswoman, for that matter, is fired unfairly, there are procedures you can take. For instance, they can take the case to court. If it is a public affair, they can appeal to the Public Service Commission and, thereafter, go to court. There is no procedure where a person may be returned to work because you came and called people names here in Parliament. Anybody who has a serious case should take it through the normal channel. When your kinsman is hired, that time we do not hear of it. But when he is fired, then you start talking about tribes. We have to exhibit national leadership. If we have a genuine issue about the distribution of jobs, yes, let it be raised. But let us not bring side issues and claims of ethnic bias when somebody is fired for a specific wrong doing. It is on record that this Parliament was pushing for an appointment to an office in the Kenya Anti- Corruption Commission (KACC), of a person who was under scrutiny. I would have expected that, as a watchdog Committee of the public, we would be saying: \"Can you quickly investigate those allegations and clear the persons or condemn them\", so that if they are cleared, we, as a House, would be able to demand for their appointment. If they are not cleared, then we will be able to say: \"Sorry, you do not fit in this job\". But for the House to purport to say: \"Appoint first and investigate later\", this House can be said by the public and by reasonable people to have been routing for opaqueness. Let us not have double standards. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if we are genuine about raising the bar on accountability, let us demonstrate it in our actions. Let us also not sit, either as Chairs of Committees or Committee Members to deliberate on a matter on which we have an interest, and especially a business interest. Why would you want to talk about taxation of a certain company if it is a trading partner of your family concern? These are very serious issues that are emerging in this Parliament. We will have to deal with them and, collectively, we will have to go under the banner of an institution that is rated worst than the other. I think we have food for thought and from the Government side, I want to say that we accept the Report and call upon the House to continue raising the bar on accountability."
}