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{
    "id": 248644,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/248644/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 157,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Katuku",
    "speaker_title": "The Minister for Water and Irrigation",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 281,
        "legal_name": "John Mutua Katuku",
        "slug": "mutua-katuku"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir for giving me an opportunity to contribute to this Motion. I would like to say that I oppose the Motion. The arguments being advanced by both sides of the House, and by hon. Members who are opposed to the Motion, are credible. I have previously served in the PIC for a long time. We made recommendations and went into depth of issues related to corruption. However, my frustration, as I stand here, is that the recommendations were not implemented. We want to have a Motion geared towards implementation and not investigations. Investigations are done by relevant bodies like the National Audit Office, among others. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker Sir, conclusions are reached that some people should be prosecuted. We should be looking into how we can strengthen the prosecution aspect of our institutions. I want to agree with the Minister that establishing this committee would be a total duplication and confusion and it will cause confusion in its operations. I want to appeal to the Mover of this Motion to look into ways of strengthening the PAC and the PIC and how we can tackle the implementation process in terms of prosecutions. This Motion needs to be placed where it belongs; by way of defeating it. I want to appeal to the Mover to withdraw it before we do so. I have heard comments from colleagues that if we do not pass it, we would be sending wrong signals to the public out there. I want to disagree with that. We, as a Government and Parliament, must work together in order to fight corruption. We are not sending wrong signals by defeating this Motion. Who are we sending wrong signals to? We have the right bodies; that is, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the Public Investments Committee (PIC) and Mr. Aaron Ringera's team, which are all doing a good job. Maybe the Attorney-General needs to be pushed to do his work. When I talked to him recently, he said that he did not have enough staff. I think this is an area where we need to facilitate the Attorney-General or, maybe, come up and ask him what the problem is. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we experience a lot of frustrations in our courts of law, with cases being delayed for years and people not getting judgement. Of course, justice delayed is justice denied. So, the issue is how we can improve the performance of our courts. If we are required to amend the laws to increase the number of judges to handle the cases in our courts, we may need to do that as a Parliament in order to give the Chief Justice, or the institution, more room to appoint more judges so that they can handle corruption cases speedily. I would want to see a situation where a case is taken to court today and it is determined within two weeks. That is the only way we can fight corruption. But this business of somebody going to court and using the same money earned from corruption to frustrate the legal system cannot take us far. We must oil the system, and that is the only way forward. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would want to appeal to those who have been mentioned in the PAC or PIC to own up and go home, if they are in this House. With those few remarks, I beg to oppose. May 31, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1045"
}