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"speaker_name": "Hon. Ochieng",
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"legal_name": "David Ouma Ochieng'",
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"content": "that. Kenyans want to hear that this Member of Parliament has been taken to court and our corruption-fighting agencies have swallowed that hook line and sinker. They basically take these guys to court. They know that they do not have a case, but they know they will have played their proper public relations role through that. We need to inculcate efficiency in fighting corruption. That is why I support the idea that you need to have commissioners on part-time basis. In the last two months, you, Hon. Speaker, have spoken about something very important and dear to my heart. You asked, “A commissioner who sits in an office 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 30 days a month, what is he doing? What is this policy you are working on for a whole year? What policy are you making for a whole year?” That is why they have time to interfere with what happens in the day to day operations; they get absorbed into what happens here daily, because they do not have something else to do. They now have to know who won what tender and who is being investigated. That is why they have room to start calling for files and saying: “Go to the file of this governor. What is happening in that?” They have room for rent-seeking and interference, and that is why having them part-time, and being called to the commission offices to process business of the commission as may be necessary is more important to me than having the three of them there fulltime and trying to see who is more powerful than the other. The case for part-time commissioners, of all commissions, cannot be gainsaid. It is something that we must, as a Parliament do, or decide on. After this we will request the committees concerned to bring reports about all the other commissions; the IEBC, KNCHR, CIC and these other commissions, should be renewed for a maximum of five years part-time, and with very clear mandate. It was a mistake to classify the EACC under Article 15 institutions. You do not fight corruption through board meetings. We went wrong and that is why we must go through it again. We are one country that has more laws on anti-corruption than any other country in Africa. Kenya has so many laws on anti-corruption but the problem is enforcement. Just like in the alcohol sector, it has so many laws but the President has to wake up one day and tell Members of Parliament to go to work. Even on this one, if the President thinks this is the best way, then he should ask Members of Parliament to wake up and mob up all those people who are corrupt, if it is going to help. Laws cannot help us. We need seriousness and people who have this country at heart, and are known to be champions in fighting corruption. It is only in Kenya where we do not use technology to fight corruption. We do not see our agencies deploying technology to fight corruption. We use the same old methods to fight corruption. We need a body that will use the correct technology available to them to fight corruption and not encourage infighting. That is why, as someone has said, after we are done with the commissioners, we must descend on the secretariat. We must restructure that body to reflect what we think can be used to fight corruption in this country. In the appointment of the commissioners - because this has been advertised and it is going to come - this Assembly plays a very important role; I am happy that Members who were here before have owned up and said they did a bad job. They did not do a good job in selecting commissioners. I request Hon. Chepkong’a, my Chairman, and Hon. Duale the Leader of the Majority Party who is here, to let us not interfere. Let us not cut deals with the commissioners, who will get into this commission. Let us not want to know which tribes they will come from. This is what messes up things. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}