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{
    "id": 310236,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/310236/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 9,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Speaker",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Hon. Members, the second communication is with respect to conduct of business today in this Sitting and the extended sitting, which, by the resolution of the House will last until 10.00 p.m. Hon. Members invoking the powers vested upon me by the Standing Orders and in particular Standing Order No.20, I direct that the sitting of the House will be extended until midnight so as to enable us to cover all business at Order No.8. Therefore be guided accordingly. DEMISE OF HON. JOSEPH MARTIN SHIKUKU Thirdly, hon. Members, it is with shock and sadness that we have learnt of the demise of the Hon. Joseph Martin Shikuku, the former Member of Parliament for Butere that occurred yesterday, 22nd August, 2012 following a long illness. In his early life, Hon. Shikuku attended Mumias Secondary School and St. Peter’s Seminary Mukumu. He ventured into politics in 1959 when he joined Nairobi People’s Convention Party and later Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU), of which he became the youth leader. He was one of Kenya’s founding fathers, who participated in the Lancaster House Conference that negotiated for Kenya’s constitutional framework and Independence over the years 1962 and 1963. This conference marked the end of more than 70 years of colonial rule in Kenya and chartered the road to Independence. He made his debut in the House in 1963, when he was first elected to the National Assembly as Member of Parliament for Butere Constituency. He was re-elected as Member for Butere in 1969 and served the people of Butere in this capacity up to 1975 when he was detained and re-elected in 1979 to 1983, 1983 to 1988 and 1992 to 1997. His Parliamentary career spanned over a period of 30 years. Hon. Martin Shikuku served in various positions, including being appointed an Assistant Minister in the Office of the Vice-President and Home Affairs in 1969 and in the Ministry of Livestock Development in 1983. In Parliament, he will be remembered as a stickler to Parliamentary rules and procedures renowned and reputed for never making an allegation without being able to substantiate the same. His contributions in the House centered on the cause of democracy, a feat that earned him the name “People’s watchman.” Hon. Shikuku would also debate for hours on a Motion without repeating himself. To most of his friends and admirers, the late Shikuku was a fighter for human rights who never felt shy of speaking his mind. He served in the Select Committee that investigated the death of J.M. Kariuki and served as Chief Whip of Kenya African National Union. Hon. Shikuku, together with the late Jean Marie Seroney, former Member for Tinderet, are entered in the annals of our history as defenders of Parliamentary freedom and privileges, which led to their arrest within the precincts of Parliament and subsequent detention without trial in 1975. In late 1990s he joined other Kenyans calling for political reforms and was a founder member of the Forum for Restoration of Democracy (FORD). This led to reintroduction of multipartyism in Kenya, which opened the door for a free and democratic State. In the international Parliamentary life, Hon. Shikuku was a recognized"
}