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{
    "id": 567645,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/567645/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 90,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Kaluma",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1565,
        "legal_name": "George Peter Opondo Kaluma",
        "slug": "george-peter-opondo-kaluma"
    },
    "content": "Hon. Deputy Speaker, it is humbling to speak on this issue after Hon. Cheptumo and, of course, our other colleagues; we should put aside those small issues some of us tried to bring into the matter. It is a serious matter if we are seen as leaders to be conducting ourselves in the manner my colleagues, who have spoken before, have confirmed. Hon. Wandayi, who moved this matter, Hon. Sakaja, the Leader of the Majority Party and every leader who has spoken in the House today confirmed there was chaos in the proceedings. Without taking sides, that is a matter that should be investigated and appropriate action taken. I say this because committee business in our parliamentary system constitutes about 90 per cent of our parliamentary business. That is the forum at which we perform our oversight role and seriously transact parliamentary matters. So, could there be clear directions? There is an attempt to restrict this matter to reviewing the HANSARD, but I also want to alert Members that the HANSARD will not pick every issue happening in the Committee. In fact, things like chaos will be indicated in the HANSARD as applause, jeers or cheers. It may not be very specific. This is a matter in which we need to go beyond the HANSARD to check through the proceedings in detail. If there is need for investigation by the Powers and Privileges Committee that investigated PAC, let us go to that Committee, so that we are seen to be a dignified House. I also wanted to remind my colleagues in the House that ours is a presidential system. In fact, the hope of the Kenyan people is that when we execute parliamentary business, there should be no big division. We should deal with issues as mandated under Article 95, and without thinking of whether I am CORD or whoever. Let us try to remember that in the old times, even President Moi would sit here as Ministers were being interrogated. Party lines were never seen when Parliament executed its mandate. Hon. Deputy Speaker, recently I was watching proceedings of the South African Parliament in a session. I saw a young Member of Parliament, in fact a new Member of Parliament interrogating the conduct of the President, while President Zuma was seated there. No Member of Parliament, including those of his party, the African National Congress (ANC), ran to protect the President. Let us execute our mandate because it is important."
}