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"speaker_name": "Mr. Kajwang",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, corruption is an extra-ordinary phenomenon. If we are going to deal with it, we need extra-ordinary measures. This is not an extra-ordinary measure because we have established many anti-corruption institutions. For example, we have the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC), we have another one run by a reverend, we have two watchdog Committees in Parliament; we have the Controller and Auditor-General himself and the Efficiency Monitoring Unit (EMU), which are all supposed to deal with corruption. So, we have many bodies dealing with corruption but nothing is happening. Why is that so? We also have the institution of the Attorney-General himself, who is also supposed to deal with corruption. Why is it that nothing is happening? It is not because of the lack of bodies like these. In fact, we should reduce them. It is the will to do what we know we should do to deal with corruption that is lacking. If you asked me about those extra-ordinary measures which we should undertake to deal with corruption, I know them and I can name one of them. We are not going to deal with corruption using institutions which are themselves corrupt. The High Court, subordinate courts and the Court of Appeal are not bodies to deal with corruption. If you look at them, they are themselves corrupt, and they have accepted that fact. There is a report which has been authored by the Chief Justice himself which says that the entire system is corrupt. So, how are we going to use a corrupt institution to deal with corruption? What are we going to do? That is the question. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, at one time, when we discussed the issue of how to deal with corruption here, somebody suggested that we should even have special courts to deal with corruption. We resisted that move because we thought that we were a civilized country and we should not have courts which are outside the normal court system and we should not have court martials. But corruption is a primitive institution and to deal with it, you need primitive institutions. Until we have the courage to establish courts which will deal with corruption within 12 hours in which we have heard the evidence and jailed the culprit for 25 years, we are not going to deal with it. The culprit should appeal when he or she is in jail. By the time he or she comes out, he or she will never try it again. We might say that is cruel and primitive, but that is the only way to deal with corruption. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are not going to teach the people to stop corruption when they see its benefits. When you see a man who was poor yesterday get into an office and become a millionaire and women sing praises to him; he is voted into an office of a party and then to Parliament--- People praise him and songs are sung in his name. How do you deal with such a man? When you arrest him, the whole of his clan goes to court to say that their man is being finished. They are bitter and they shed tears. How do you deal with such incidents? Until we make the public know that if they are corrupt, they will be jailed and stripped of all that wealth, then the public can shun them. Unless we do that, corruption will continue to thrive in our country. What are we talking about? How many bodies shall we form? We are wasting our time! Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we must now be radical! My friend, the former Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, talked of radical surgery. He was just joking. If you mean \"radical\", be radical enough and do something extra-ordinary. We must shake the minds of Kenyans to believe that corruption is wrong. Are we not talking of dealing with Goldenberg? Are we not fighting it? Are we not threatening people that we are going to take them to court? Are they not taking tea with the President? So, what are we talking about? 1046 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES May 31, 2006 Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we should forget this Motion! Let the Government change its mind and become serious and radical enough to change the thinking of Kenyans first; that this thing is destroying the fabric of our country. I respect the hon. Member who has moved this Motion, but this is not the way to deal with it. We should ask the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs to go and think seriously about some radical measures that this Parliament must take to deal with corruption. We are ready to pass very serious laws here. Let us have anti- corruption tribunals outside the court system which will deal with corruption swiftly and, within one year, there will be no corruption in this country. Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I beg to oppose."
}