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{
    "id": 493228,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/493228/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 225,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Machage",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 179,
        "legal_name": "Wilfred Gisuka Machage",
        "slug": "wilfred-machage"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. This is, indeed, a timely Motion. I am a Member of the CORD and I stood in solidarity with the Jubilee coalition when our principals called upon our membership not to attend Parliament when the President was attending the joint Houses. Having said so, I hold a completely different view of his Speech as a statesman. I believe that we in the opposition will not score much by abrogating ourselves the duty of abusing the presidency in Parliament. I do not think that that is the way to score marks. I think we shall score highly if we pick on real issues and hold on to them to fight and win the presidency in 2017 which I know we are able to, but only if we have facts. If the President of the Republic of Kenya addresses Parliament on whatever matter, that is his constitutional right. It is your personal opinion to label the Speech inadequate or pointless and not our party’s opinion. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, at that time, the country was really in distress; the country was in dire need to know what was going on. Kenya is not only about the Jubilee and CORD coalitions, but it belongs to all Kenyans. This was a situation where the President of the Republic of Kenya had been asked to appear at the ICC to answer to a case, leaving a vacuum of leadership. As has been ably explained by the Senate Minority Leader, Article 147 of the Constitution clearly says that he did not need to have done that to abrogate his powers to the Deputy President because that is a foregone case, because the Constitution so provides. However, he made no mistake to emphasize that he had done so. He told the country that he was leaving and that the citizens should rest assured that the presidency was being left in the hands of a credible, responsible and trusted leader. There was nothing wrong with that as far as I am concerned. It was largely statemanly to do so. Who knows what would have happened if the ICC could have decided to lock him in? That gesture assured us that if that had to happen, then he had left the leadership in trusted hands and that was his wish. He made sure that even that a Kenyan or a villager who may not have read Article 147 of the Constitution is reminded what it provided. We all know they voted for it because so-and-so had said so. Therefore, they had to get to know the legal clause through which he abrogated his duties to the Deputy President. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we should be sober when handling matters to do with parties, leadership, politics at different levels and development. These issues must be observed carefully. Recently there was a misconception in my county of Migori where the Head of State came and had the wrath of the people just because they did not like the Governor of Migori County. It has taken me so much time to try and clear that notion 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."
}