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{
    "id": 453304,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/453304/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 206,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Midiwo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 184,
        "legal_name": "Washington Jakoyo Midiwo",
        "slug": "jakoyo-midiwo"
    },
    "content": "been thanking CORD if he sees that my friend, hon. Tong’i, has been given a prime position where our former CORD Member was sitting and we are not complaining. Therefore, you should be thanking us because we would have been a bit harsher, but we have resolved to move forward because we are peaceful in CORD. You have just seen the altercations in Jubilee a few minutes ago arising from the utterances of the last speaker. You have seen that there is no peace in your house, therefore, give us a break. Having said that, I want to add my voice to the sad events that took place in Kisii yesterday – two wrongs do not make a right. It is now a right for every citizen to protest. That is one right. But it is also wrong to destroy property. We cannot justify lawlessness with lawlessness. The excessive powers the police use is another subject. It is criminal for the police to act excessively when students riot. We must, as House, put it clearly that all Kenyans, even if they are two years old, must abide by the law. You cannot wake up and begin destroying property; even if you are a student. Nobody gives that power to any Kenyan. We have seen openly in the past when there are riots, students have been killed! The mayhem that is meted out on innocent Kenyans on Uhuru Highway is not acceptable. We must not encourage blaming the police. It is true that the act by the police was a criminal act, but it was done by a few policemen. But we must tell our students that we have passed a new Constitution that does not exclude anybody, even if it is hon. Members, to follow the law. If you are going to break the law, you must face the consequences. A few weeks ago, we were discussing and we pleaded with our friends from the other side that this thing of giving police excessive powers is what we tried to cure with the establishment of the National Police Service Commission (NPSC), so that there could be a proper manual. We wanted the police to be re-trained, but a few conservatives have insisted that the Police Force must remain the way it is. Hon. Speaker, for two days now, at the border of Kericho and Kisumu - you have seen what has been happening because the police have no proper chain of command. We passed the County Governments law and we said that all the OCPDs should be under the governor; so that the governor can respond to such emergencies like the one happening between Luos and the Kipsigis. There is a problem. We have the District Commissioners (DCs) who are powerless. I have received phones calls from not less than five DCs. They are saying that they are just sitting in their offices without facilitation. The whole idea of having the Provincial Administration was to beef up security. The DCs are saying that the police are now taking command as per the Constitution, from the Inspector-General. The DCs do not control any security now and therefore, we have a big problem in our country. Hon. Speaker, even as we are speaking about the burgeoning of the wage bill, the DCs and the County Commissioners have no work. These are people whose job was primarily to offer security to Kenyans. It is not happening because we have to sort out something else. I want to thank the Chair for saying that he will lead us in sorting out the mix-up and mess in the Constitution. We were publicly promised by His Excellency President Kibaki and the former Right hon. Prime Minister Raila Odinga that there is 20 per cent which will be sorted out after we pass the document. We passed the document and now we are in a total mess as a country. 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."
}