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{
    "id": 549178,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/549178/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 301,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Keynan",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 41,
        "legal_name": "Adan Wehliye Keynan",
        "slug": "adan-keynan"
    },
    "content": "Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, there is something fundamental which Hon. Kabando has also said. Let us not criminalise the concept of doing clean business in Kenya. In Kenya, there are so many briefcase agencies that hover around waiting for a tendering process and eventually raise an issue not because they are not happy with the process, but they want to make something out of that process. We must continue to protect this country as a key investment destination. For us to do that, we must allow the international community or businessmen from anywhere in the world to come and invest in Kenya. That is the only way we can also allow foreign direct investments. Therefore, criminalisation of doing clean business should not be allowed. It is not allowed under the Constitution. It should also not be entertained by any entity operating in Kenya. One particular issue that every Member has said is that we must allow the State Law Office to interrogate some of those key and mega contracts. That is the only way we can get value for money. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I appreciate that you are also a person of immense legal experience and you appreciate that there are many opinions as there are lawyers. Therefore, the only opinion we can respect is the one that we have employed, namely, the State Law Office. That is the Attorney-General. Therefore, it is important that the Office of the Attorney-General is not reduced to be like any other office. It is a critical office under the Constitution and we must recognise it. Therefore, I want to urge the heads of some of those critical creatures, whether they are parastatals, State corporations or Ministries to benefit from the wisdom and the legal knowledge of the Office of the Attorney-General. Once they do that, they will always be guided legally. I also appreciate that some of the entities here are completely independent from the Office of the Attorney-General, especially State corporations and parastatals that exist pursuant to the passage of particular laws by this House. I want to conclude by saying that the Committee I head has close to 363 matters under investigation. We are trying to clear the backlog by disposing of as many maters as possible. The Nineteenth PIC Report, which touches on the state of 73 state corporations, is pending before the House. I urge the hon. Members to visit Room 8, get copies and go through some of the pertinent issues pertaining to some of the key public investments. It is a voluminous Report. If you read through it, you will appreciate what is going on in some of the key investments that you support through budgetary provisions."
}