Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 462366,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/462366/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 182,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ochieng",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2955,
        "legal_name": "David Ouma Ochieng'",
        "slug": "david-ouma-ochieng"
    },
    "content": "Hon. Speaker, Sir, I want you to guide this House on whether this House has the relevant competence. For example, do we have the competence to engage in forensic investigations? Do we have competence to engage in taking evidence from persons we summon to appear before us on a matter such as this? Do we have the equipment, as a House or as a House Committee, to engage in these investigations? What is happening now is that, those who are listening to us out there may think that this House is engaged in activities meant at covering up the happenings at the Westgate Mall. They are not convinced that we want to do an honest job. A number of interests are competing in this issue. We have the integrity of security apparatus in this country. Our Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) has done a good job out there. They did a good job in Somalia and even Angola, but now what we are engaging in threatens to besmirch the good name of our forces. If we engage with the media everyday on the issues we are investigating, we will not make it. The President of this country has made a commitment that he is going to open up an inquiry into this matter. Could the Chair guide this House on whether the Committee on Administration and National Security and the one on Defence and Foreign Relations can wait until the relevant special agencies; the ones that are currently carrying out investigations can do their work and this House can play oversight role. Hon. Speaker, what happened in Kenya on 21st September, 2013 is not a common criminal activity. We have had incidents that have been investigated by the National Assembly but under very clear circumstances. We can compare this with what happened in America in the Twin Tower attack. In that country, the Congress and the Senate had agreed they were going to have an inquiry into that matter so that hon. Members withdrew from the process. They waited for the special agencies to do investigations and report the findings to Parliament. Parliament can then look at the report and if there are any loopholes, they can be addressed then. Hon. Speaker, I would request also that we allow bodies that are created in this country under the Constitution to do their work. We have the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), commissions and independent offices as indicated in Chapter 15 of the Constitution which can also do investigations. Why do we not allow these bodies to investigate then Parliament comes in at a time when it can do the oversight? The interest in this matter include ensuring that our security apparatus are allowed to operate and the right of the victims to know the cause of the attack and what happened during that time. The public needs to know the relevant institutions that are charged with investigations. Finally and most importantly, as Parliament we must help this country prepare strategic action in future, in case such happenings take place. Hon. Speaker, one or two days after the incident, instead of allowing public institutions to do their work, we took up the matter and said we had started investigation and we already giving statements on what happened. . Hon. Speaker, I seek your guidance on this matter. Thank you."
}