Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 407289,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/407289/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 366,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Wandayi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2960,
        "legal_name": "James Opiyo Wandayi",
        "slug": "james-opiyo-wandayi"
    },
    "content": "I am speaking from personal experience. If I may remind some of the hon. Members who are new to the reform struggle, in 1997, when we led the “no reforms, no elections” campaign, I was unfortunate to have been held incommunicado for more than ten days. I went ahead to stay at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison for five months on tramped up charges. Anyone trying to abuse the Constitution must be resisted. One should not attempt to sneak in fundamental changes to the Constitution through this Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, which is a very mischievous piece of legislation. What is the Jubilee Government afraid of? Why are they trying to roll back the gains that we have made in this country by trying to deny Kenyans their fundamental rights, which some Kenyans died for and many others shed blood for? You can go on and on. Therefore, this Bill is not properly before this House. Look at the statute dealing with NGOs, the so-called Public Benefits Organisations Act. The import of the proposed amendment to this Bill is essentially to muzzle the NGOs in this country. The Government attempted to muzzle the media but they failed. They now want to muzzle the NGOs who are the alternative voice of the people. Some of the gains that we presently enjoy in this country, some of the freedoms that we presently enjoy in this country; some of the freedoms that have made some hon. Members to sit here today, have been gained because of the contributions of the NGOs that we are now attempting to muzzle. Any right-thinking Member of this House cannot support this Bill as it is. In fact, there is no point of debating it. It needs to be withdrawn from the Order Paper. History will bear us out. In fact, this House stands the risk of going down in history as the House that committed the worst form of impunity on the people of Kenya, if we allow this kind of proposed legislation to be debated here. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I do not expect you to preside over this kind of abuse of the Constitution. This is a blatant abuse of the process of law-making in this country. The Constitution of Kenya was not a donation from anybody. It was not donated to Kenyans by Moi, Kibaki or Uhuru Kenyatta. It was fought for and realised by The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}