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"id": 243110,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Khamisi",
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"legal_name": "Joseph Matano Khamisi",
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"content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, Under Standing Order, No.69, last Thursday 6th July, 2006, the Assistant Minister for Information and Communications made serious allegations against my person following my Question on the recent retrenchment of 253 employees of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC). (i) That during my tenure as Managing Director of KBC, I employed unqualified staff. The Assistant Minister went on to name three such people allegedly employed by me namely: Mr. Eric Ponda, Mr. Stephen Murima and Mr. Alfred Kiti, who he claimed and I quote \"were employed on grounds that were not straight.\" (ii) The Assistant Minister further claimed that Mr. Ponda was a fuel pump attendant at the KBC whom I appointed to the newsroom on tribal basis. He also claimed that Mr. Ponda came from my village. (iii) That Mr. Kiti was my driver and that I appointed him as News Editor again on tribal basis. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to put the record straight by stating the following:- (a) I was hired as KBC Managing Director in February, 2000. At that time, the named employees had long been employed at the Corporation. Mr. Ponda was employed in 1989, Mr. Murima was hired in 1996 and Mr. Kiti was recruited in Mombasa in June, 1998. So, it is not correct for the Assistant Minister to claim that I hired these individuals. (b) The Assistant Minister claimed that Mr. Ponda comes from my village. In fact, he does not even come from my constituency. I come from Bahari Constituency and Mr. Ponda comes from Dida in Ganze Constituency. (c) Mr. Ponda never worked as a News Editor. At the time of his retrenchment, he was a News Assistant in the Translations Department, having assumed that position in 1994. I was not the one who promoted him to that position because I was not there. For the Assistant Minister, therefore, to claim that I promoted this individual from a pump attendant to a News Editor is misleading. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is true that Mr. Kiti was hired as a driver at the Mombasa station. He was transferred to Nairobi on his own request to pursue his ambition of becoming a journalist. While at KBC in Nairobi, it was discovered that he was good at translations and had the requisite qualifications for entry at the KIMC. He was then promoted to a Clerical Officer and, subsequently, to a News Assistant, which was basically a translation and not an editing position as claimed by the Assistant Minister. Mr. Kiti has since obtained a diploma in journalism from the KIMC. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, as for Mr. Murima, the only thing I know about him is that he was a Kiswahili news reader. What the Assistant Minister said on the Floor of this House is actionable in a court of law. I challenge him to repeat the same outside the precincts of this House. It is obvious that the Minister was misguided into making false and misleading allegations against me. Finally, with your permission, I would like to lay on the Table of this House documents pertaining to these individuals, including letters of appointments, academic and professional qualifications as well as letters of recommendation from their superiors to prove the Assistant 2000 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 12, 2006 Minister wrong, and to clear my good name. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir."
}