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"content": "glasses describing himself as a Criminal Investigator for what you spoke on the Floor. Next day, you are served with summons for what you spoke on the Floor. Or next day, something happens to you for what you spoke on the Floor. That is why when I stand here and speak about any issue, I have no fear of reprisals and, indeed, no other legislator should have that fear. The MCAs are legislators like we are; they carry out oversight like we do. You can imagine if you stand on this Floor and expose the transgressions and the lack of accountability of a Minister in charge of police; all he needs is to press a button and the police will be up and running. If you expose something against the police themselves, we can easily degenerate into a “wild west” situation. This is not how a civilized country should go. I have gone through the Bill carefully and it replicates the powers and privileges already available. So, indeed, what it is doing is cascading downwards what we enjoy as legislators at the national level to the legislators at the county level. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is also important to caution ourselves that powers and privileges should not be misinterpreted to mean a licence for misbehaviour. We have seen in some county assemblies, things happening that are not right. We have seen fistfights and chairs flying. At least, for the many years that I have been in this Parliament, the only time that I witnessed a fistfight was not because Members were disagreeing, but because forces were clashing over whether or not, a budget should be read. This was in the Seventh Parliament. I saw Members exchange quite actively with their hands, and that was not very good for the history of this country. You have seen what happens in Parliaments in Korea, Japan and Italy. God forbid that it does reach here. In Korea, it is even worse because, like my good elder brother, Sen. G.G. Kariuki, they are experts in Taekwondo. You will see a Member of Parliament airborne with stretched legs going to strike another, simply because they have disagreed on the Floor. I hope that we will not have a situation where we will have to jump onto this Dispatch Table and fly across the Floor with our stretched legs, to land on another Senator. I am sure you have seen what happens in those Parliaments. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, you will remember what the Parliament of Somalia did at the Grand Regency Hotel when we were housing them here. The destruction and injuries that they caused to each other made everybody think twice as to whether these were honourable Members or honourable thugs. It happens all over. It happened again the other day in Somalia and we saw it on Al Jazeera . So, even for our distinguished honourable county assemblers, these privileges that we are bestowing upon them – that they are entitled to – should not be seen as a shield and cushion to misconduct themselves in the chamber. This is because when you are called “honourable,” you must conduct yourself as such. If you do not, then you do not deserve that title. That is why even as Members of Parliament, with those privileges and immunities, we must conduct ourselves with decorum. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I look around the House and see four lawyers. I want to remind them that in Criminal Law, criminal responsibility does not stop with he who pulled the trigger or drew the punch. There is what we call accessories to a crime. You can be an accessory before, during and after. Our teacher in Criminal Law used to tell us of a robber who raids a bank and as he comes out somebody stands in his way. He shoots him and as he cascades away with a stolen car with the loot, he rams into another car. As The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate"
}